Product Analysis: Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.0 beta

last modified, December 20, 2005 . Rafael Ebron

Product Name: Internet Explorer 7.0 beta
Company Name: Microsoft
General


One sentence description / Positioning statement:

The world's most popular Web browser now safer and easier to use.
  • From Microsoft:
    • Dynamic security protection through a simplified architecture that defends against malware, and new dynamic ways to protect against personal data theft from fraudulent Web sites (a practice known as “phishing”).
    • Improved design to make everyday tasks easier and faster, with better navigation through tabbed browsing; inline search right from the toolbar; shrink-to-fit Web page printing; and a streamlined, redesigned user interface (currently in its early stages in Beta 1).
    • New tools to take you directly to the information you want through support for Web feeds (RSS) that includes automatic discovery of web feeds (RSS) on Web pages, basic Web Feed (RSS) reading capabilities, and basic support for saving Web feeds (RSS) as a new kind of favorite.
    • Platform enhancements for developers to improve compatibility and manageability, including improved support for Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) as well as transparent PNG support.
Overall Impressions / Predictions of new features:

  • Huge change with the user interface putting the address bar and new search bar at the top of the screen for "security" reasons.  Tabbed browsing is on by default (but requires a restart to turn on/off?).  Tabs are sandwiched between address bar and file menu/other toolbars
  • Internet Explorer 7.0 (MSIE) is a response to the popularity of Firefox, as well as a response to (end users and enterprise) customers and developers who are very unhappy with the security problems and nuisances that MSIE has not prevented.
  • MSIE 7.0 targeted at Windows XP SP2 users only, will not be provided to Windows 2000 users.
  • Anti-phishing feature is what Microsoft will push, however, this technology is manual and could (should) prove ineffective.  MSFT is including a solution for anti-phishing for marketing purposes to show that they are trying to solve this problem.  They didn't solve privacy issues with P3P or content controls with PICS, here's another one to add to that list.
Features (would be great if they actually told us what they're working on)
  • MSIE 7.0 will include many of the same features of Firefox including:
    • Tabbed Browsing (w/ tab drag and drop, "tear away" tabs, don't know yet) (already in Firefox)
    • International Domain Name Support (already in Firefox)
    • Improvements to printing, shrink to fit (already in Firefox)
    • RSS auto discovery and styling like Sage/Safari (Livebookmarks in Firefox)
    • Overhaul of Security Zones from a UI perspective called "Low rights IE"
      • Other security features, better lock icon UI
    • Search bar w/ multiple partners
      • how was this determined?
    • One click clear of privacy settings
    • Add-on manager
    • Some updates to standards specification
    • a new simplified theme, emphasis on the back button
  • MSIE 7.0 will include these features over Firefox:
    • 75% likely - Bundle w/ Microsoft Anti-Spyware
    • Anti-Phishing feature through Whole Security and Phish Report likely via the "information bar"
  • MSIE 7.0 will not include these features
    • No Desktop search bundling
    • May ship with new versions of popular plug-ins
    • No ad blocking or other image features.
    • No new version of Outlook Express
    • No Parental controls, feature to be included in OS (parental controls are becoming an OS feature)
    • No improvements to download management
    • No peer to peer features
    • No further MSN Messenger integration
    • No further Windows Media player integration
    • No MSN or web service integration e.g. server-stored bookmarks
Product Assesment:
  • MSIE 7.0 will need to hurdle security perceptions and significantly out do Firefox in terms of features in order to convert current Firefox users.  It will be easy to convert IE 6.0 users over, not necessarily so for IE 5.5 and lower who are on other systems.
  • MSIE 7.0 will be praised as a good first step towards securing Internet Explorer (versus too little too late) and a good lead in to Longhorn.  Microsoft will tout/market both security and features heavily.
  • Others including AOL, Symantec, Opera, open source advocates will say that MSIE 7.0 is not enough and will not have done enough (read: users need to buy our products).
  • They have an "extension" add-on mechanism that provides great features but also opens IE up for exploits.  Google Toolbar, Yahoo Toolbar, etc helps keeping Internet Explorer in people's hands.
  • MSIE 7.0 will get share immediately as an upgrade to MSIE 6.0 through Windows Update and as the default browser for Longhorn.  Should not see MSIE 7.0 eating into Firefox market share though only getting share from MSIE 6.0.
  • MSIE 7.0 can expect at least one severe vulnerability (or exploit) within 0-2 months to be found outside the company.

Other notes:
  • MSIE 7.0 will only work on Windows XP SP2, so MSFT is leaving much of their users out in the cold.  Not to mention no solution for Mac OS X (and to a lesser degree Linux).
  • New features?  Wasn't this supposed to be a focus on security.
  • Providing choice and innovation is key.  Redundancy, meaning having two browsers on a machine and having web sites work in multiple browsers is a good thing.  (this is what the web is all about)

Outstanding Quetions:
  • Active X?  Still a security problem.
System Requirements



 OS: Windows XP SP2
Probably not Windows 2000

Memory: 32 MB of RAM minimum (doesn't sound right but this is what they published)
Full install size: 12 MB
Download Size: Has not mattered in the past.  Mostly distributed via OEM and OS sales, and Windows Update.
Top 5 key features (what about this product sets it apart from others in its category)
What should be the top 5 key features in Internet Explorer 7.0:
  • Security settings/UI changes, anti-phishing feature, (and maybe anti-spyware bundling)
  • Tabbed browsing
  • RSS integration
  • International Doman Names Support (huge win for countries, and domain registrars)
  • Best features are other people's add-ons like the Google or Yahoo Toolbar
Reminder of some the good features in Internet Explorer 6.0 XP SP 2 and earlier:
  • SP2 : Pop-up blocker, Information bar, Add-on manager
  • SP2: dropped features like link to Related Links, Windows Media bar/HTML bar
  • 6.0:  Image resizing/tools, P3P (tough to grok for end users), Print Preview enhancements (intro'd in 5.5)
Breadth



 Standards support (need help here to complete)
http://channel9.msdn.com/wiki/default.aspx/Channel9.InternetExplorerStandardsSupport
  • UAAG (accessibility standards): good
  • CSS support  http://channel9.msdn.com/wiki/default.aspx/Channel9.InternetExplorerSupportforCSS
    • they have lots to do here; designers/developers not happy
  • HTML support: ok
  • HTTP support: ok
  • Quirks Mode: 3 levels? Standards, IE 6 quirks, and Quirks (looks like an IE 6 quirks mode will  added?)
  • data urls: no support in IE, on their plan? maybe not in IE 7
  • Namespace support: don't know
  • MathML support: doesn't and probably won't support
  • OpenType support: will improve (not asupported in Mozilla?)
  • P3P is supported (Mozilla has some support but real world use/value is questionable)
  • PNG support: may see alpha transparency finally in IE 7
  • SVG support: probably won't support natively (we'll see some of this in Firefox 1.1)
  • XForms support: probably not in IE 7
  • XBL or XUL support: probably not in IE 7 or ever
  • XSLT: ok
Expected Languages: English, Japanese, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Korean, Brazilian Portuguese
Character Set support: Roman languages, Japanese, Chinese, Hebrew, Arabic, more.
Business




Business model
  • Sales of operating system, tools, productivity, and server software
  • Advertising, drives users to MSN.com
  • Content partnerships, drives users to MSN.com
Reach
  • my rough estimate: 300MM active users, 80% reach
Date of most recent release: Last (?) patch update was February 8, 2005.  Last release was August 4, 2004, IE 6.0 XP SP 2. 
Date of next expected release: IE 7.0 beta in August-September interim release before Longhorn.  IE 7.0 final will be in November - December or will be the Longhorn release
Customer support offerings: Tied to OS/OEM support or volume licensing support.  Also provides $35 for email, chat, or phone support per incident.  "Advanced" support is $245 per incident.  Provides users with a feedback mechanism via Talkbalk like system.  Newsgroups, support center, knowledge base, also available. 
Related Links/
Articles
 http://www.winsupersite.com/reviews/ie7_preview_1.asp
http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/archive/2005/02/22/378470.aspx
http://www.microsoft-watch.com/article2/0,1995,1765128,00.asp