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

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.

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.

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13 Comments

frantisek

said about 4 years ago

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?

crimguy

said about 4 years ago

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?

spice-boy

said about 4 years ago

Downloaded it, seems very snappy but won't import my bookmarks from Safari

rob53

said about 4 years ago

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.