SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 5, 2000 — At the Macworld Expo today, Microsoft Corp. unveiled its Microsoft® Internet Explorer 5 Macintosh Edition browser software, which introduces a rendering engine as well as functionality that has not been previously available on any browser of any platform. Designed to be the fastest, simplest and most reliable version for the Macintosh ever created, Internet Explorer 5 also features a new, modern interface and the ability to experience rich streaming audio and video directly within the browser. Microsoft also announced its plans to release Mac OS X native versions of Internet Explorer and the Outlook® Express messaging and collaboration client, as well as Microsoft Office, the world’s most popular suite of business productivity applications.
“Internet Explorer 5 is designed to address the specific needs of our Macintosh customers,”
said Kevin Browne, acting general manager of the Macintosh Business Unit at Microsoft.
“With industry-leading support for Internet standards and features for the Mac not found in any browser in the market today, Internet Explorer 5 should be the clear choice for Macintosh customers.”
Internet Explorer 5 Macintosh Edition features an all-new rendering engine, code-named
“Tasman.” “Tasman”
provides the best support of any available Macintosh-based browser for the most essential open Internet standards as defined by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), so Web pages will look and function the way they were intended.
“Tasman”
also displays text in Web pages much more clearly, thanks to a feature that automatically adjusts the resolution to 96 dots per inch (dpi) instead of the Macintosh-standard 72 dpi. Finally, Internet Explorer 5 is the fastest version ever created – at least 50 percent faster than previous versions.
“Microsoft is about to deliver a browser that complies 100 percent with key Web standards,”
said Jeffrey Zeldman, group leader of the Web Standards Project ( http://www.webstandards.org/ ), whose organization’s goal is to further the use of standards on the Internet.
“This is exactly what Web developers and customers have been asking for.”
The newest version of Internet Explorer also introduces features that help solve real-world problems on the Web. Because doing research continues to be the most popular activity on the Internet, Internet Explorer 5 has made it simpler to find, track and use information from the Web. With the new Auction Manager, Internet Explorer 5 has become the first browser to help track and complete multiple Internet auctions simultaneously. Storing information from the Web is also made easier through another feature out first for the Mac, the Internet Scrapbook. With the click of a button, a complete Web page, Web image, e-commerce receipt, or link can be quickly captured and stored for future reference directly within Internet Explorer 5. Located on the Explorer Bar, the Internet Scrapbook easily allows users to save and organize these items for future reference, before the items change, expire or are removed from the server where they reside.
Macintosh style and elegance are brought to the browser with the new, modern look of Internet Explorer 5, featuring an elegant, customizable interface that incorporates industrial design elements of the popular iMac and iBook computers. Customers can even change the color of the browser interface to match those of current Macintosh computers. Internet music and the abundance of rich multimedia on the Web are made more accessible to Macintosh users with the Media Toolbar integrated into the browser interface. The Media Toolbar makes it easy to tune in to streaming audio or video broadcasts over the Internet by radio and TV stations. Internet Explorer is also the first browser to feature native support for Apple’s QuickTime streaming.
Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 for the Macintosh is scheduled to be available in nine languages in winter 2000 at no charge for downloading from Microsoft MacTopia at http://www.microsoft.com/mac/ (connect-time charges may apply).
Microsoft also announced today its commitment to deliver OS X-native versions of Internet Explorer, Outlook Express and all the Office family applications. Browne discussed Microsoft’s relationship with Apple Computer Inc., saying,
“Microsoft is very excited to be working with Apple on new products, including future versions of Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer and Outlook Express.”
“Mac OS X is the most powerful and robust operating system Apple has ever created,”
said Clent Richardson, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations.
“We welcome Microsoft’s commitment to developing and producing great products for Mac OS X like Microsoft Office and Internet Explorer.”
To ensure that customers do not have to wait for the functionality in the latest versions of the products, Mac OS 8 and 9 versions of Internet Explorer 5 and the next version of Office Macintosh Edition will be released first, followed by Mac OS X-native versions.
“As the supplier of the browser of choice and e-mail application shipped with Mac OS X, we are committed to releasing OS X-native versions of Internet Explorer and Outlook Express the day Mac OS X becomes available,”
Browne said.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software – any time, any place and on any device.
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