Edge with Chromium for macOS lands Jan 15 with preview available now

AppleInsider · November 4, 2019 3:31PM

Microsoft is gearing up to release the new Chromium-based version of the Edge browser for macOS on January 15, 2020, with potential users able to try out the release candidate of the browser on their Mac from today.

Teased at the Build developer conference in May but confirmed during today's Microsoft Ignite conference along with a large number of other announcements, the new version of Microsoft Edge will be made available to the general public on macOS and Windows from January 15.

The release candidate is available to download now from Microsoft directly, on both macOS and Windows. The version offered is being provided as part of the Beta Channel, which is updated every six weeks, but there are also the Dev and Canary Channels that provide new builds on a weekly and daily basis respectively.

While Microsoft does offer Edge on iOS, it won't be changing over to Chromium like the desktop counterparts, as Apple's restrictions on iOS apps effectively requires browsers to use WebKit. Even so, users will be able to share passwords and favorite sites between the mobile and desktop versions of browsers.

Microsoft Edge's release candidate using Chromium, in Windows 10.

The big change for Edge is the shift over to Chromium, the open-source browser engine that powers main rival Google Chrome. The change will, in theory, make it easier for developers to produce extensions for the browser, as well as making for a more standardized web experience for users and web developers, with websites loading with a similar appearance to Google's own browser.

Under the new version of Edge, Microsoft will include a new tracking prevention default where it is turned on from the start. The SmartScreen and Tracking Prevention mechanisms aim to protect against phishing schemes, malware, and other malicious software, while an InPrivate mode will stop web searches from being attributable to the user, somewhat similar to Chrome's Incognito mode.

A Collections feature can be used to collect web content for research purposes, which can then be exported into Word or Excel for further analysis.

Lastly, Microsoft is also rebranding the main icon for the browser. The previous "E" logo will be replaced by a wave, to minimize confusion with Internet Explorer.

davgreg · November 4, 2019 3:45PM

Are there any stats on the use of Chrome vs Safari vs Firefox vs Edge (existing) on Mac OS and iOS?

There was a time when I was using Chromium as Safari had issues with stability, but those problems went away at least 2 versions of Mac OS ago.

ElCapitan · November 4, 2019 4:29PM

I have tested it throughout development and it is not bad at all. Noticeably slower than Safari, but it is probably full of debugging and instrumentation code, so that verdict will have to come at release. For some enterprise type sites it appears to work better than Safari, but that should really come as no surprise.

If I need a 3rd party browser other than Safari, I am more inclined to trust that to Microsoft than anything Google.

dewme · November 4, 2019 4:42PM

I’ve run into issues using Safari with Wix based web development that do not manifest themselves when I use Chrome. However, I’m always reluctant to use Chrome for general browsing because it’s a memory and cpu hog, and well, it’s Google with all the privacy concerns. Hopefully a Chromium based Edge will be sufficient to relegate Chrome to the dust bin. Chromium on Linux has been fairly decent and a little faster than Firefox on limited platforms.

philboogie · November 4, 2019 5:02PM

Yes, a new version of Edge. But...why? Does it work with all my current Safari Extensions? Work with 1Password? Sync tabs over iCloud? Mute on all tabs?

flydog · November 4, 2019 5:24PM

davgreg said:

Are there any stats on the use of Chrome vs Safari vs Firefox vs Edge (existing) on Mac OS and iOS?

There was a time when I was using Chromium as Safari had issues with stability, but those problems went away at least 2 versions of Mac OS ago.

https://bit.ly/2CdO33n

sflocal · November 4, 2019 5:32PM

I would rather use this than Chrome any day since it’s not tied to Google.

I will always use Safari as my primary browser, but I find many poorly-designed, ad-infested sites don’t work well with Safari, which then I switch to Chrome for those rare moments.

coolfactor · November 4, 2019 5:42PM

I like the wave icon. "Surfing the net". Nice tie-in.

But I'll never use this browser out of principle, except for testing.

jorgie · November 4, 2019 6:04PM

philboogie said:

Yes, a new version of Edge. But...why? Does it work with all my current Safari Extensions? Work with 1Password? Sync tabs over iCloud? Mute on all tabs.

Just their support of named profiles are enough to make it my primary browser. I am not aware of any other browser that lets me run multiple browser windows all with their own security context so that I can use multiple credentials to the same sites without conflict.

davgreg · November 4, 2019 7:17PM

flydog said:

davgreg said:

Are there any stats on the use of Chrome vs Safari vs Firefox vs Edge (existing) on Mac OS and iOS?

There was a time when I was using Chromium as Safari had issues with stability, but those problems went away at least 2 versions of Mac OS ago.

https://bit.ly/2CdO33n

No stats there

JWSC · November 4, 2019 7:19PM

davgreg said:

Are there any stats on the use of Chrome vs Safari vs Firefox vs Edge (existing) on Mac OS and iOS?

There was a time when I was using Chromium as Safari had issues with stability, but those problems went away at least 2 versions of Mac OS ago.

I still have stability issue with Safari. Chrome has been stable like a rock.

I have to give credit to MS for utilizing Chromium. This never would have happened under clown boy. But MS is a different company now.

9secondkox2 · November 4, 2019 8:02PM

Oh wow! Golly gee!

Is that the new FireFox logo?

Looks so similar.

And who needs Edge? We’ve got safari. Chrome as well if you absolutely must.

No need for a return to the late 90s/early 2000s with everyone wanting their browser on your system.

superkloton · November 4, 2019 10:23PM

AppleInsider said:

Microsoft is also rebranding the main icon for the browser. The previous "E" logo will be replaced by a wave, to minimize confusion with Internet Explorer.

It's still an "e" though.

michelb76 · November 5, 2019 9:46AM

Probably going to be good for companies and enterprise clients that use Microsoft services heavily. I expect Microsoft to add specific features to their version, as they already have done. For regular consumers I see no added value.

Worldspinning · November 5, 2019 7:47PM

ElCapitan said:

I have tested it throughout development and it is not bad at all. Noticeably slower than Safari, but it is probably full of debugging and instrumentation code, so that verdict will have to come at release. For some enterprise type sites it appears to work better than Safari, but that should really come as no surprise.

If I need a 3rd party browser other than Safari, I am more inclined to trust that to Microsoft than anything Google.

Try Brave Browser. They built on Chromium and works well on all platforms.

bluecohones · November 6, 2019 12:39PM

Im a bit confused and out of the loop, isn't the name chrome (and chromium) used by Google? What does MS have to do with it? Are their ditching their browser to make a Google chrome clone (like Opera did).

I find with browsers people are sentimental, and just go by old dogma. People still use firefox because once upon a time firefox was the bees knees and now it's slower than opera and chrome. Opera users use opera because it's fast and independant but opera is actually just a skinned chrome.

Edge with Chromium for macOS lands Jan 15 with preview available now

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