Early dev builds go live for Microsoft's Edge for Mac

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in Mac Software
Just a day after teasing the browser, Microsoft has posted live download links for the Dev and Canary builds of Edge for Mac, allowing macOS users to try out the software ahead of a formal public release of the Chromium-ported version.

Microsoft's Edge for Mac


Discovered by Twitter user WalkingCat, the Dev build may be the safest to try, since while still pre-release it represents a weekly update. The Canary build represents the absolute latest code, but may potentially include serious bugs.

More details have meanwhile emerged about Microsoft's plans. Edge for Mac will support Touch Bars on MacBook Pros, for instance enabling tab switching. Mac users are also getting the option of rounded tab edges, and will indeed get any new privacy and Collections features coming to Windows.

The company has yet to formally announce the pre-release software or when the finished product will go live.

Microsoft is migrating all desktop versions of Edge to Chromium, the same open-source platform Google Chrome is based on. The hope is that it will make development easier for both Microsoft and third parties, and hence make the browser a more competitive force.

While it's unlikely to beat Chrome, which has over 65 percent of the desktop market, it's already ahead of Apple's Safari, and should eventually eclipse Microsoft's legacy Internet Explorer.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 13
    frantisekfrantisek Posts: 756member
    What can be MS motivation? Integration with Office product? Remain more relevant in corporate market where Apple is gaining? Or give users seamless experience across platforms? 
    ols
  • Reply 2 of 13
    crimguycrimguy Posts: 124member
    I really have no idea.  There are a slew of interesting chromium-based browsers, including opera, brave, and vivaldi.  All three of them have a lot going for them.  Just can't see what MS needs to do this for other than to make a viable MS-branded browser that they can throw on every Windows computer.  

    So perhaps the only thing it has going for it is the fact that it will be on 90% of the computers sold in a year or two, and by making it available in the Apple-sphere you at least have the ability to sync passwords, history, etc?
    edited May 2019
  • Reply 3 of 13
    spice-boyspice-boy Posts: 1,450member
    Downloaded it, seems very snappy but won't import my bookmarks from Safari
  • Reply 4 of 13
    rob53rob53 Posts: 3,250member
    frantisek said:
    What can be MS motivation? Integration with Office product? Remain more relevant in corporate market where Apple is gaining? Or give users seamless experience across platforms? 
    My first question is who cares about a remake of google garbage. Safari works fine. It’s only “problem” is it restricts web programmers from using way too many bounces (whatever they’re called), which only helps programmers get more clicks. Anything designed by google is made to grab personal information.
    racerhomie3olsjony0
  • Reply 5 of 13
    mike1mike1 Posts: 3,280member
    Surprised that they won't deliver a version of Edge for Windows 7, but they will for Mac.
  • Reply 6 of 13
    boxcatcherboxcatcher Posts: 267member
    Why?
  • Reply 7 of 13
    knowitallknowitall Posts: 1,648member
    AppleInsider said:
    ...
    The final build represents the absolute latest code, but includes serious bugs.
    ...
    Couldn't help myself.
  • Reply 8 of 13
    bloggerblogbloggerblog Posts: 2,462member
    boxcatcher said:
    Why?
    I am guessing because it's little effort since WebKit and Chromium are already OSX compatible?
  • Reply 9 of 13
    wdowellwdowell Posts: 226member
    mike1 said:
    Surprised that they won't deliver a version of Edge for Windows 7, but they will for Mac.
    the new edge IS coming to Windows 7
  • Reply 10 of 13
    MplsPMplsP Posts: 3,921member
    frantisek said:
    What can be MS motivation? Integration with Office product? Remain more relevant in corporate market where Apple is gaining? Or give users seamless experience across platforms? 
    We use Office 365 at work but I don't have a license to download MS word so on occasion I need to use Word Online via Safari which is somewhat painful. I wonder if it works any better with Edge? On the whole, I've found Office 365 to be a dog, so it's probably just as bad on Edge as it is on Safari.
  • Reply 11 of 13
    fastasleepfastasleep Posts: 6,417member
    rob53 said:
    Safari works fine. It’s only “problem” is it restricts web programmers from using way too many bounces (whatever they’re called), which only helps programmers get more clicks.
    What?
  • Reply 12 of 13
    fastasleepfastasleep Posts: 6,417member
    crimguy said:
    So perhaps the only thing it has going for it is the fact that it will be on 90% of the computers sold in a year or two, and by making it available in the Apple-sphere you at least have the ability to sync passwords, history, etc?
    ^ this, I would imagine, is a huge factor. Think about how many people work on Windows and have a Mac at home, and use Chrome or FF on both so they can sync their bookmarks, history, passwords, so forth. By offering cross platform syncing, MS can try to lure some of those users back to IE--er, Edge. 

    On a side note, I've asked friends and family before why they installed Chrome or FF (or sometimes, for some reason, BOTH) on their Mac or iPhone. "I don't know" is a common answer. I ask, "Do you use your account across devices at least to sync all your history/bookmarks/etc?" and often get "No" or "How do I do that?". It's bewildering, because that's the only valid reason I can think of NOT to use Safari if you're a macOS/iOS user given the deep integration of it in both OSes. 


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