It’s hard to say how many customers would want the Internet Explorer browser on another mobile platform, though there’s likely a base of users that would welcome the addition, if for no other reason than competition.
It seems that is not going to be happening in the near future, at least that’s what the latest report claims. Mary Jo Foley, who is a reliable source for Microsoft information, tells us the company has no plans for the browser to hit either of its rival platforms.
On the surface, that does not seem a huge surprise. But, the company has released many of its apps for both platforms. That fact alone may makes this a bit of a shock to some.
However, it was pretty clear, as the statement was quoted came from a Reddit AMA with the IE team. Foley points to the answer which was given — “Right now, we’re focused on building a great mobile browser for Windows Phone and have made some great progress lately. So, no current plans for Android/iOS. We are committed to improving our own engine. We love the fact that the web was built on multiple competing (yet interoperable) platforms and believe that this is how it is going to move forward into the future”.
It certainly makes sense for Microsoft to focus on its own mobile operating system, but given that it has been so generous with other apps for both Android and iOS, it’s also a bit strange that this one will be withheld. Perhaps that will change in the future, but for now it seems to be a no-go.
