Microsoft is devoting a lot of time and attention to the launch of Windows 8, which is set to take place on October 26. With new flagship features like Internet Explorer 10 and the Metro interface, Windows 8 wants to make a splash in consumer markets around the world.
Google wants to make sure users understand the importance of upgrading to Internet Explorer 10. In fact, in an effort to make users upgrade to Internet Explorer 10, Google is removing Internet Explorer 8 support from its Google Apps store. In other words, if you’re trying to download Google Apps through Internet Explorer 8 after November 15, you’re out of luck. The app store will simply recommend that users make an upgrade and provide a link where they can do that.
Google is the first major company to remove support for Internet Explorer 8 from its services. The Internet Explorer brand has certainly encountered some difficulties over the last few years. It features poor plugin support, frequent crashes, slow performance, security flaws, and plenty of other problems that have been frustrating users.
Fortunately, Internet Explorer 10 wants to put an end to those problems and change the way users feel about the Internet Explorer brand. On October 26, the release date for Internet Explorer 10, consumers will get a chance to see if Microsoft lives up to that promise.
Windows XP users are out of luck
Dropping Internet Explorer 8 from its list of supported browsers might seem like a minor issue. After all, users can simply upgrade to Internet Explorer 9 or 10 with the click of a button, right? Unfortunately, it’s not that easy for Windows XP users. Microsoft never released a version of Internet Explorer 9 for Windows XP, which means XP users will not be able to use the App store past November 15 without using alternate browsers like Chrome or Firefox.
Using alternate apps could be a problem for those who are on corporate networks. Corporate users tend to use Internet Explorer because it is the only browser installed on the operating system by default. Installing an alternate browser isn’t that easy without admin privileges, which could mean XP users have no choice but to stop using the app store – or upgrade to a newer operating system.