Microsoft: IE is “the browser you loved to hate”

[nsane.forums]

Microsoft is well aware that Internet Explorer isn't the most loved browser out there, but its new promotional campaign and website invites you to give IE another chance.

Few people in this world would disagree that Internet Explorer earned its reputation for being a web browser to avoid at all costs. The dark days of IE6 firmly established a layer of hatred towards Microsoft’s browser that for many people remains even today, and there are those who practically spit at the mention of its name.

The scale of the challenge for Microsoft to win over the millions of users who have nothing but hatred in their hearts for its browser is, quite simply, immense. So it’s refreshing to see the company tackle its big perception problem head-on, with a new campaign to promote Internet Explorer 9 that doesn’t shy away from the reality of its situation.

Entitled ‘The Browser You Loved To Hate’, the campaign is centred around a new website that encourages people to give IE another chance. The site showcases user feedback on IE9, with tweets and comments from across the web, and critical acclaim from the likes of Wired, The New York Times and Forbes.

In a post on the Windows Team Blog, Roger Capriotti (Director, Internet Explorer Product Marketing) said that IE9 “has been a turning point. We’ve been both humbled by its uptake on Windows 7 and by the response we’re hearing from our customers. And while there have been a number of pretty funny things said about IE’s past, it’s great to see those same enthusiasts bringing IE9 back into their browsing mix.”

Capriotti says that an increasing number of the Chrome and Firefox faithful have been introducing IE9 into the way that they browse and use the web. The ability to pin sites to the taskbar in Windows 7 – bringing app-like functionality and ease-of-use – has apparently been a key part of IE9’s new-found popularity.

Capriotti added that the site also offered an opportunity for Microsoft to ‘poke a little fun’ at itself, and central to that effort is this video:

View: Original Article

[kunjar]

IE 9 is my main browser! Its perfect, i do not require gimmick add-ons which are going to slow down my browsing experience and waste disk space, extra clutter and bloat. Heck even the latest version of google chrome cannot display msn.co.uk correctly. Headline titles are out of place. Also 150mb+ is poor app:size ratio. What on earth requires so much storage? Besides IE9 still scores best on SunSpider benchmarks not to mention best flash performance also. Many are overlooking the html5 performance, it has some features, although how many sites are using html5? It is not even finalised and still under development so what is the point of those making such a huge fuss about the standard? I understand that there will be many who simply wish to stand out of the crowd, make their individuality known bla bla. Each to their own i guess.

Although Microsoft needs to add incremental updates if it wishes to remain a competitor. The window of opportunity for users to discover other browsers between the release cycles of Internet Explorer are HUGE! 6+ months, where as google and mozilla saturate their market/users with constant updates therefore, the time between the development and implementation of a feature or fix, to the time where the end user benefit/interacts with these new features is minimal hence, a user will most likely continue using that browser.

[Nima]

Impressive article & website, will try that for a few days. ;)

Thank you.