Microsoft has launched the finished version of its brand new IE9 browser. The new version features improved graphics handling, extra security tools and privacy features.
The company hope to rival fellow developers Mozilla and Google’s Firefox and Chrome. Recently Microsoft have been losing a great deal of the market to other browsers.
Web analysis firm Net Applications have released estimates that IE has around a 56% share of the market. The study also shows that Firefox holds a 22% share, Chrome 11% and Safari 6%.
New features of IE9 include improved security features that stop users being tracked by advertisers from site to site. This is often done by companies to alter ads to suit the browsing habits of web users.
Additionally the browser will include an updated download manager that scans downloads to avoid trojans and viruses. The main feature that Microsoft wants to highlight is IE9′s internal hardware acceleration. This utilises a PC’s graphics card to display sites in exceptional detail.
Another study shows that around 20% of current web traffic is from apps on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.
“We believe the next battle ground for the browser wars will be fought not on the desktop, but on the smartphone and tablet. This is where Microsoft’s existing browser offering still has a lot of catching up to do,” commented Richard Edwards, analyst at Ovum.
Microsoft have stated that 40 million beta versions of IE9 have been downloaded, making it the most downloaded IE of all time. The browser will not be compatible with Windows XP and is only available for Windows 7 and Vista.
