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E- BUSINESS: Explorer for Mac is ditched

Posted on: Tuesday, 24 June 2003, 06:00 CDT

Microsoft is to kill off Internet Explorer for the Macintosh computer. No versions will be developed for the system, the company has decided.

Apple, which ceded the computer desktop to Microsoft's Windows operating system years ago, recently launched a new Web browser called Safari that it claims is faster and better at navigating and displaying Web content.

Apple launched its Web browser, which is currently in Beta 2 preliminary release, in January after a five-year development deal between Microsoft and Apple had lapsed.

However, Microsoft said it would continue to develop its Office document, spreadsheet, presentation and productivity software for the Macintosh.

'We're committed as ever to the Mac platform,' said Jessica Sommer, product manager for Microsoft's Macintosh Business Unit.

Microsoft's decision could make it more difficult for Macintosh users hoping to access Web content that is tailored for the Internet Explorer, which, like Windows, has more than a 95 percent market share.

Jessica Sommer said that the two companies were talking over user content compatibility issues between future versions of IE and Safari.

Microsoft said its Web browser will be developed more closely in line with Windows, due for an overhaul in 2005 which the software firm believes will make it less vulnerable to security breaches.

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