When Microsoft announced its Project Spartan web browser for Windows 10 at a company event, many expected this browser would ditch the Internet Explorer branding. However, it wasn’t fully confirmed if the IE branding would be going away. However, yesterday Microsoft’s Chris Capossela confirmed the company is indeed working on a new name and brand for the browser.
“We’re now researching what the new brand, or the new name, for our browser should be in Windows 10,” said Capossela. “We’ll continue to have Internet Explorer, but we’ll also have a new browser called Project Spartan, which is codenamed Project Spartan. We have to name the thing.” Microsoft have not yet decided the new name for its Project Spartan browser. I think ‘Spartan’ could make quite the classy name for it.
As for Internet Explorer, that is staying but only for some versions of Windows 10, mainly for enterprise users. This is for compatibility reasons. Project Spartan will be fully separate for IE and will be used as the default browser and the primary way Windows 10 users will browse the web across phone, tablets, desktops and most likely Xbox One too once Windows 10 launches for the console.
Microsoft’s Capossela also discussed the power of using the ‘Microsoft’ branding over the Windows or Internet Explorer branding. Microsoft have been doing their research and discovered that putting Microsoft in front of the new name increases the appeal to users. Specifically, Chrome users in the UK where the research was carried out. “Just by putting the Microsoft name in front of it, the delta for Chrome users on appeal is incredibly high,” says Capossela.
The company is clearly researching as many names as possible for its Project Spartan as this will be critical to its success. Moving fully away from the Internet Explorer branding (which is hated by many) will be crucial for the new browser. With Microsoft’s research efforts it’s clear putting the Microsoft branding before the product name will be happening. Microsoft Spartan anyone? I think it could work really work.
Microsoft have been using social media such as Twitter recently for big marketing pushes for many of its products. We see this with Xbox, Surface, Bing, Office and Windows and it looks like it’s paying off for them as it will continue to peruse these going forward. The company will likely use similar marketing campaigns for Project Spartan once the official name is confirmed. Whether Microsoft will continue to use its @IE handle for enterprise support with a separate one for Spartan is unclear. It’s possible Microsoft could change its multiple IE Twitter pages to reflect the Spartan branding. Only time will tell.
But for Internet Explorer, I only knew you too well. It’s been one heck of a rollercoaster but soon it’ll be time to part my dear friend.
Alan Walsh is a games journalist, head writer at AR12Gaming. They contributed 52 articles to ICXM in 2015, focused on game reviews, Windows and PC, and Xbox news: leads editorial for AR12Gaming and reviews titles for OpenCritic.