REDMOND, Wash., May 14, 1997 — Microsoft Corp. today announced the immediate, worldwide availability of Microsoft® Internet Explorer 3.01 for Macintosh. This major upgrade to Microsoft’s acclaimed best-of-breed Web browser for Macintosh computers includes new features originally intended for Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0, and several additional enhancements that improve performance and ease of use.
Included in Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.01 are two cutting-edge features originally slated for Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0. To reduce the time users spend visiting sites searching for updated information, Microsoft Internet Explorer now includes Monitoring Favorites, a feature that automatically monitors user-specified sites and notifies users when those sites have been updated. Users can choose to be notified of updated sites via e-mail, a dialog box alert, a user-selected sound, or by having the Microsoft Internet Explorer icon flash.
Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.01 also includes AutoComplete, which automatically fills in typed addresses based on the Favorites and History lists. For example, if a user visits (http://www.apple.com/) frequently, he or she would have only to type the first few letters of the address, and Microsoft Internet Explorer would complete the entire URL automatically. In addition, AutoComplete will automatically add the “http://www” and “.com” to typed addresses, making visiting http://www.microsoft.com as easy as typing “microsoft”.
“With Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.01, Macintosh users get not only the best-performing browser, but the first to include version 4.0-level enhancements,” said Brad Chase, vice president, applications and Internet client group at Microsoft. “We think it’s by far the best browser for Macintosh users and a must-have upgrade for everyone.”
Designed from the ground up by Microsoft as a native application for the Macintosh, Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.01 remains the smallest browser for the Macintosh, requiring only 4 MB of memory. Also, this release is now available to the wide audience of users of the 680X0 series of Macintosh computers, who now, along with Power PC users, can take advantage of the browser’s new features, including the following:
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Internet Mail and News 3.0. This major upgrade to Microsoft Internet Explorer’s Mail and News client adds advanced filtering, message searching features, support for multiple accounts and additional improvements.
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JavaScript support. Microsoft Internet Explorer now supports JavaScript, completing the browser’s compatibility with all the technologies that add interactivity to Web pages.
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Download Manager. Users can track and manage multiple downloads in an easy-to-use window. Microsoft Internet Explorer now supports FTP folder downloads, automatic decoding of BinHex and MacBinary files, and the ability to resume downloads after closing the browser.
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Improved security. The new Cookie Manager allows users full control over accepting or declining Web site “cookies,” preventing sites from receiving a user’s personal information.
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AutoSearch. Searching is easier than ever. As a result of the user simply typing “?” or “go” and the text he or she is searching for, Microsoft Internet Explorer will return the search results from the user’s default search site. For example, typing in “? NASA space” will provide all the search results that include NASA and space.
“Microsoft is a longtime Mac OS developer, and we’re very pleased with the company’s continued strong support for the Mac OS with Microsoft Internet Explorer,” said Avie Tevanian,
senior vice president, software engineering, Apple Computer Inc. “The competitive nature of the Internet application market has ensured that Mac OS customers are continuing to see best-of-breed applications on the Mac OS platform.”
Pricing and Availability
Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.01 for Macintosh is available free of charge for immediate download (connect-time charges may apply) at http://www.microsoft.com/ie/mac/ The browser also is scheduled to be available with the upcoming Apple operating system, Mac OS 8.
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