Microsoft to Stop Making Browser for Mac
By HELEN JUNG, AP Business Writer
SEATTLE - Microsoft Corp. says it will no longer develop versions of its
popular Web-browsing software for Apple Computer's Macintosh (news - web
sites) system, saying Apple's own browsing software is a logical choice for
Mac users.
Except for two minor upgrades, Microsoft's Internet Explorer 5 is the
last version it will develop for the Mac, said Jessica Sommers, product
manager for the software company's Macintosh Business Unit.
It makes more sense for Mac users to use Apple's Safari Web-browser, she
said Friday. Although still in beta testing, the browser has already gained
attention for its speed and some of its features.
Sommers said Apple is in a better position to create a browser with more
features and that offers a smoother experience because "Apple has access to
functionality in the (operating system) that Microsoft doesn't."
"They can do things because they're developing on their own (operating
system) that we as a third party programmer can't do," she said.
It's a complaint that has been leveled at Microsoft in the past by
outside software vendors, who said Microsoft's access to its underlying code
gave it an inside track on making its own add-on products run more smoothly
than others.
Microsoft is not backing away from the Mac and will continue to
develop other software, she said, including a new version of Office business
software for the Mac. "Our relationship is strong as ever," she said. "This
is by no means an indication ... that we're walking away from other
products." An Apple Computer representative was not immediately available
for comment.
The move isn't surprising, said Rob Helm, research director for
Directions on Microsoft, a Kirkland-based independent research firm.
Internet Explorer already has more than 90 percent of the market, he said,
and Microsoft doesn't need the added exposure to Mac users, who constitute
less than 5 percent of computer users.
And Mac users have a promising option in Safari, he said.
"I picture this as not being a major problem for Apple," Helm said. He
added that Microsoft may be "rethinking how much it invests in the Mac,"
picking and choosing among the more profitable software - such as its Office
business software for the Mac - and less profitable, such as Internet
Explorer, which was a free download
................................Mike T.
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