Microsoft
released a preview version of its Internet Explorer 7 browser this
past Tuesday. The only real new features of this Windows-only
browser are tabs and RSS, features that Firefox has had since beta,
and ones that Safari has had since Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger" came
out.
Vulnerable
IE 7 is said to feature many security enhancements, building on
what already existed in Service Pack 2 for Windows XP. This all
sounds good, yet there has already been at least
one reported security vulnerability, and many people seem to be
having problems installing the software if they've already got
antivirus or anti-spyware software installed, specifically McAfee
Internet Security Suite.
Sure, it's beta software, so it's not going to be perfect. But
for the lack of new features (the RSS icon is the same one used in
Firefox - Microsoft actually collaborated on that front) and the
time that Microsoft spent on the security aspect of the browser,
it's a bit shocking to find that one day after the beta was
released someone had already uncovered a security
vulnerability.
And more ironic yet, you can't even install the supposedly
"secure" browser if you're running antivirus software!
Internet Explorer is still the most popular browser in the
Windows world; many people think of IE as being the Internet. But
that number is dropping. Virtually everyone in the business or
academic world has most likely heard about Firefox, and many have
tried it. Many students here in Montreal use it as their default
browser - and if they're not using Firefox, it seems they're using
Safari on a Mac.
Conceding Defeat
The Mac is one platform where Microsoft has conceded defeat in
the browser wars. Internet Explorer 5.2.1 was the last version of
IE for the Mac. When it first came out, it was a decent browser
with useful features, such as an auction manager, but it quickly
became dated, and Microsoft seemed unable to respond to new trends
like tabbed browsing and blocking popups. Instead they focused
their efforts away from browsing (and their OS, too) and onto other
things, like digital music services.
IE 6 for Windows has also started to reach that end point. While
it does block popups (if you have XP Service Pack 2); tabs and RSS,
the other two ubiquitous features in browsers, are unavailable.
And if you have an older version of WinXP or are still using
Windows 2000 (as many businesses and schools are), you're out of
luck without using a third-party solution for blocking popups.
Can a Monopoly Stay Ahead?
Microsoft is in an interesting position right now; it's
expanded, broadened its product range endlessly, and is now facing
competition from hundreds of companies who have products designed
to work with Microsoft's main product, Windows.
Apple has pushed Microsoft into a place where Microsoft felt it
needed it's own music download service, and they're now even
considering a Microsoft iPod-like device.
Google put Microsoft out on the search business - their relaunch
of MSN Search got less traffic on its first day than the old
version had been getting!
In the US, AOL has been more successful with instant messaging
software, and now we're seeing losing market share to Firefox and
other browsers.
Microsoft doesn't seem to be able to stay on top of it all.
It's fairly obvious at this point that Microsoft just can't be
the market leader in everything anymore; they need to start
focusing. Perhaps they've realized that in some ways, canceling
Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player for the Mac.
This is an obvious area where they weren't making money, but
it's also a sign that Microsoft is starting to lose its
monopoly.
Deluded
In other ways, Microsoft is still deluding themselves. Windows
XP is almost five years old, and only two service packs have been
released. Compare that to Windows 98, which was current from 1998
to 1999, when it was updated to Windows 98SE, which took it through
to 2000. Then it was updated to Windows Me. Then in 2001 Windows XP
replaced it. That's three years, with some fairly significant
updates in between.
This time Microsoft's been very slow with releasing Vista,
promising it in 2005, then 2006, and now . . . well I
remember reading that yet another developer preview of it was
canceled.
I had a conversation about RAM with a friend of mine the other
day - he had some PC133 RAM from an old PC, and I informed him that
he wouldn't be able to use in a new one he plans on getting, since
most computers now use PC3200 RAM. Technology's progressed, but
Windows really hasn't.
Switching
Yes, 90%+ of people in the world still use PCs running Windows,
but if Microsoft can't deliver timely updates and consistently
remains behind, like they have for the past few years, people might
start thinking about switching.
Switching to the Mac, for example.
Now that the Intel chips are present in the iMac, there's no more perceived
slowness factor (the so-called MHz Myth). At US$1,299, it's
considerably more expensive than a $799 Dell (based on single-core
Pentium 4 technology), but the iMac also delivers much better
performance with a lot of nice features (integrated webcam and mic,
internal speakers, a remote control) that a less expensive PC won't
have.
Apple is banking on Windows users growing sick of the endless
security problems and empty promises about Windows Vista arriving
"in 2005" to make the jump and purchase something different. The
iMac gets great reviews; for example, Walt Mossberg of the Wall
Street Journal has repeatedly talked about how wonderful it is,
calling it the "gold standard" of personal computing.
Apple's market share might increase - in fact, it probably will
- and I'm just guessing based on the number of people that I know
who've told me they plan on getting a Mac as their next
computer.
However, Apple needs to be careful not to put themselves in the
position that Microsoft is in. Apple makes hardware, software, and,
with the iPod, consumer electronics. It needs to be careful how it
broadens its line of products and services so as not to give itself
too much to handle, which seems to be Microsoft's problem.
