Microsoft has announced that it is pulling the plug on the iconic Internet Explorer, its oldest browser. The web browser first released in 1995 as part of the add-on package Plus! for Windows 95 will retire in peace. According to reports, IE will be rendered inoperable from June 15, 2022.
The browser reportedly reached its peak in 2003 with around 95% usage share. But with the release of new browsers from other competitors, their user base fell in the years that followed.
New feature development for Internet Explorer was discontinued in 2016 in favour of the new browser Microsoft Edge. This was the first time Microsoft had planned to slowly phase out Internet Explorer.
Microsoft 365 ended support for Internet Explorer on August 17, 2021, and Microsoft Teams ended support for IE on November 30, 2020.
Sean Lyndersay, Microsoft Edge program manager, said 'the future of Internet Explorer on Windows 10 is in Microsoft Edge', as quoted by various technology websites.