Microsoft teases Chromium-based Edge browser for macOS

Posted:
in Mac Software
At the start of its Build developer conference on Monday, Microsoft offered a fleeting glimpse at the macOS version of Edge, a browser once exclusive to Windows 10.

Microsoft Edge for macOS


The first Dev- and Canary-channel builds are coming "soon," Microsoft said in a blog post. No narrower dates are available, whether for early or finished software.

Microsoft is migrating Edge as a whole over to Chromium, an open-source platform best known for undergirding Google Chrome. That should make Edge easier to develop for, including by third parties.

While Edge is integrated into Windows 10, it controls just 4.49 percent of the desktop browser market, according to NetMarketShare data. Chrome is far and away the leader at 65.81 percent. Even Internet Explorer, Edge's predecessor, enjoys a better share at 9.52 percent. Apple's Mac-only Safari is at 3.69.

Some potential features in Edge for Mac include a new privacy dashboard with per-site customization, and Collections, which will let people gather related content for later sharing, browsing, or publishing to apps like Word and Excel. Neither feature has been set in stone for macOS or even Windows.

Edge already has a presence on iPhones and iPads.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 30
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member
    Why?
    dysamorian2itivguyseanjdewmemacseekeruraharajony0
  • Reply 2 of 30
    65026502 Posts: 380member
    I'm good, thanks.
    dysamorialkruppauxion2itivguypscooter63chasmuraharajony0
  • Reply 3 of 30
    MplsPMplsP Posts: 3,911member
    I haven’t used the Edge browser for Windows, but I haven’t heard good things about it, either. What’s telling to me is that any site that lists browser requirements lists Internet Explorer, if it lists a Microsoft browser at all.
  • Reply 4 of 30
    dysamoriadysamoria Posts: 3,430member
    So it won’t be Edge. It’ll be Chrome, but branded Microsoft. Is that because their Windows 64-bit API Edge browser is unportable? Why would I want this, as a Mac user?
    n2itivguy
  • Reply 5 of 30
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member
    dysamoria said:
    So it won’t be Edge. It’ll be Chrome, but branded Microsoft. Is that because their Windows 64-bit API Edge browser is unportable? Why would I want this, as a Mac user?
    The usual suspects would say because anything, even a Microsoft thing, is better than Safari, or Siri, or the HomePod, or AirPods, or iPads, or...
    pscooter63williamlondonjony0
  • Reply 6 of 30
    neilmneilm Posts: 985member
    Well, Apple does offer Safari for Windows.
    Turnabout is fair play.
    williamlondon
  • Reply 7 of 30
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    I hope that Safari gets a dark mode which will work on all webpages.

    I'm on dark mode on Mojave right now, but take this site for example.

    I'm using Safari right now, but the background of the forum page is white. I should be able to override that and turn this page into dark mode, to blend in with my overall dark mode which I'm using on Movaje. I saw that there is some sort of third party paid app which claims to do this on the App Store, but it should be built into Safari.
    edited May 2019 macseeker
  • Reply 8 of 30
    auxioauxio Posts: 2,717member
    neilm said:
    Well, Apple does offer Safari for Windows.
    Turnabout is fair play.
    Apple hasn't offered Safari for Windows for 7 years

    As for why Microsoft is essentially repackaging Chrome for Mac, my guess is that they have some cloud services which use Microsoft-proprietary browser extensions/technology which they need to make available to Mac users.
    edited May 2019 pscooter63chasmjbdragonjony0
  • Reply 9 of 30
    ouraganouragan Posts: 437member
    dysamoria said:
    Why would I want this, as a Mac user?

    Because you probably use Edge at work or in school, so that you are already familiar with Edge.

    In my own case, I use Firefox on a Mac because I got used to Firefox on a Windows computer when Firefox was introduced as so much better than the then reigning king of browsers, Internet explorer. And I followed each new iterations of Firefox, each one promising to be better than the preceding version and/or other alternative browsers.

    Nowadays, I use Safari only on my iPad, mostly, I suspect, because it was the only browser allowed on the iPad for a long time and, also, because I don't browse the internet very often on the iPad as I very much prefer the 27 inch display and the keyboard of the iMac. Naturally, I tried Firefox when it was first made available on the iPad. As it was a first attempt to introduce Firefox on the iPad, the first version failed to convince me that I should use Firefox instead of the more mature Safari browser.

    Most people get used to a browser and keep using it, no matter what, because it meets their needs and it has a familiar interface.

    I read that the Opera browser is really superior to its competitors and that it is the prevailing browser in some countries of Europe. Unfortunately, as I got used to Firefox, I didn't really try Opera for any great length of time.

    It's a good thing that there is a choice of browsers as competition forces browser programmers to always improve their browser, if only to keep up with the competition. Ultimately, everyone benefits from greater competition and the continuous improvement of each browser.


    edited May 2019
  • Reply 10 of 30
    seanjseanj Posts: 318member
    Just why?!? Windows users don’t even bother with Edge so why would macOS users?!?!
  • Reply 11 of 30
    montrosemacsmontrosemacs Posts: 118member
    Love Safari on all my devices - it's very rare anymore to run into a website that Safari can't handle. But mostly because thru iCloud services Safari's bookmarks and passwords follow me everywhere across all my devices and are always 100% up-to-date. Also love the feature that allows me to see what tabs are open on all my devices, making for seamless pickup of half-read articles/work. I also use Opera on my Mac, love the UI and features, fast as heck too. But when I use it I do miss Safari's continuity factor for bookmarks & passwords. 
  • Reply 12 of 30
    montrosemacsmontrosemacs Posts: 118member
    Love Safari on all my devices - it's very rare anymore to run into a website that Safari can't handle. But mostly because thru iCloud services Safari's bookmarks and passwords follow me everywhere across all my devices and are always 100% up-to-date. Also love the feature that allows me to see what tabs are open on all my devices, making for seamless pickup of half-read articles/work. I also use Opera on my Mac, love the UI and features, fast as heck too. But when I use it I do miss Safari's continuity factor for bookmarks & passwords. 
  • Reply 13 of 30
    pscooter63pscooter63 Posts: 1,080member
    ouragan said:
    dysamoria said:
    Why would I want this, as a Mac user?
    Because you probably use Edge at work or in school
    That’s probably delusional.


  • Reply 14 of 30
    dewmedewme Posts: 5,332member
    lkrupp said:
    Why?
    Agreed, but more like "Why Bother?"

    Today, web browsers are about as exciting as spatulas. Unless you're struggling with flipping your grilled cheese sandwiches using your current spatula, you're not going to devote too brain cycles pondering how a shiny new spatula is going to change your life. Same deal for web browsers. If it ain't broke ...

    Unteased.
    edited May 2019 williamlondon
  • Reply 15 of 30
    Why create Chromium browser for Mac when the Edge Browser for iPad/iPhone are written in WebKit. Use Webkit for MacOS too.
    williamlondon
  • Reply 16 of 30
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member
    neilm said:
    Well, Apple does offer Safari for Windows.
    Turnabout is fair play.
    Apple hasn't offered Safari for Windows in years.
  • Reply 17 of 30
    fastasleepfastasleep Posts: 6,408member
    apple ][ said:
    I hope that Safari gets a dark mode which will work on all webpages.

    I'm on dark mode on Mojave right now, but take this site for example.

    I'm using Safari right now, but the background of the forum page is white. I should be able to override that and turn this page into dark mode, to blend in with my overall dark mode which I'm using on Movaje. I saw that there is some sort of third party paid app which claims to do this on the App Store, but it should be built into Safari.
    Safari supports dark mode media queries in CSS. It’s the site that needs to provide that code though, you can’t automate that in any reasonable way and have it look good in most cases. You can’t just switch the background color.
  • Reply 18 of 30
    Wow cool! I can't wait not to use it.

    We already had the movie "The Edge of Tomorrow" now we have the Edge of stupid.
    edited May 2019
  • Reply 19 of 30
    chasmchasm Posts: 3,273member
    Some misconceptions:

    1. Chromium isn't Chrome. It's the core of Chrome with the Google spyware taken out.

    2. Edge doesn't have a low share on Windows because its a bad browser -- it's not. It's not the finest browser in the world, either. It falls very squarely in the middle. The reason it has a low share is because towards the end of IE quite some years ago, every Windows fanboy/tech was recommending anything but IE because IE was horrible, and that advice was taken. People like FF and (stupidly) Chrome, so Edge -- despite being pretty similar -- has been ignored.

    3. As noted by Ouragan above, if you're using Edge elsewhere ... you may like having it on the Mac. Again, it's not bad at all, and isn't disguised spyware like Chrome. Whatever alternate browser you prefer, you should always have a second one around for troubleshooting Safari -- though Safari in recent years has been a terrific experience for me, fast and comfortable and just doesn't have the problems with compatibility that once plagued it. Brave is my alternate browser. Are FF and Chrome better? FF is a fine browser, but I grew tired of updating it constantly (are they up to version 100 yet?).

    4. If you are on a site that says it's best compatible with IE, run the other way. They either haven't updated it in a decade, or it's a warren of malware (or both).
  • Reply 20 of 30
    jbdragonjbdragon Posts: 2,305member
    Why MS didn't allow EDGE on Windows 7? Trying to get people to move to Windows 10. Darn that holdout didn't work so good. It's not a bad browser on Windows, but I have been using Chrome for a number of years. I may just move back to Edge once again. It's on iOS also. Safari is not on Windows. At least for the last 7 years or something. I'm not a Mac user. I'm a Windows/iOS user. My Desktops/Laptop are Windows. Been a long time Windows user since Windows 95. But I have my 12.9" iPad Pro and iPhone XS, and a couple Apple TV 4's, etc currently. Safari is not on Windows. Being able to go from Windows to iOS and back again with my web address, pages is useful. Though I do wish I could set the default to what I want on iOS. I can for a search engine on iOS, but no to web browser. I love that Apple finally allowed 3rd party Password Manager support in iOS12. LastPass which I use on all my platforms works so well. Not a hack like in the past on iOS.

    While I don't have any issues with Safari on iOS. It works just fine in general. It's not the best working between Windows and iOS. Being able to use Chrome on both, or Edge on both is more useful. Should be allowed to set the default on whatever browser we want. It's these small things that make a huge difference.

    Edge on the Mac? Why not. maybe you use Windows, iOS and Mac. Now you have a single browser that works for all three. With your bookmarks and everything in all 3. Used to using 1 browser for all systems.
    edited May 2019
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