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Windows 7 to be shipped without Internet Explorer

Microsoft is to ship Windows 7 without a web browser to appease the EU.

Microsoft has announced that it will ship a special version of Vista’s successor in Europe, titled Windows 7 E, without Internet Explorer 8. The browser-less version, a reaction to an antitrust investigation by the EU into whether Microsoft is abusing its dominant position with Windows and Internet Explorer, will be distributed in all member nations of the European Economic Area as well as Croatia and Switzerland.

This might be good to promote healthy competition and decrease the market share of IE but the EU doesn’t seem to have thought how it will affect search. Google has a 90% market share in the UK and will be more than happy to pay retailers to install Chrome and Firefox with Google as the default search engine on every Windows PC.

BY Patrick Altoft AT 1:02pm ON Friday, 12 June 2009

Patrick Altoft is Director of Search at Branded3 and has worked in the SEO industry for over 10 years. With experience across some of the worlds largest brands as well as startup businesses Patrick is well known in the industry and speaks regularly at the major SEO conferences and events. Follow Patrick on Twitter or Google+

Comments

  • Dave

    That’s a good point. Have you got any ideas of how they could deal with Google’s monopoly on the search engine market?

  • http://www.bluelightseo.co.uk Blueligth SEO

    Good news! Now I don’t have to change my default borwser, I can just install Firefox and away I go!

  • http://www.sustoo.com Amazon Deals

    I think the bigger problem on people’s minds will be how will they get onto the internet without a browser? How will they download FF, chrome, etc?

  • http://www.crearecommunications.co.uk/ Harish

    the problem is people will need to be eductaed before it ocmes else people may think it is not reliable

  • http://www.lyndonwatkins.com Lyndon

    So how can you download your choice of browser without a browser?

  • http://www.foxleymarketingsolutions.com Karl Foxley

    This is an interesting development. Firefox is certainly my browser of choice when I’m performing SEO related tasks as the add-ons that I use are essential time-saving and information gathering tools. However, Chrome is my default browser as it is amazingly fast, clean and functional.

    Explorer has been out of my life for a few years now and I can say I haven’t missed it!

    Thanks for sharing this news,

    Karl

  • http://www.notjohnchow.com Not John Chow

    I think that Microsoft is finally giving up this battle. didn’t it cost them a lot in europe?

  • Dave

    I think it’s a good idea to have at least two browsers installed, for testing your own sites and if a site has problems with your default browser.

    Good point about how are we going to get firefox without installing a browser. Maybe that’s why Microsoft accepted this idea, knowing we’d have to install it anyway.

  • http://www.blogercise.com BLOGERCISE

    How do you download a browser without IE? ;)!

  • Lydia

    get round the problem!

    before you get the new version without ie download it onto a usb stick or something similar!

    Firefox is my preferred search engine!

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