Prepare short updated text to keep people from switching to Chrome

[ChromeRefugee]

Given the way google.com keeps trying to make users switch to Chrome, the Edge on Chromium team should probably start crafting a convincing updated text that customers see when they try to change the default browser in Windows. Something hinting at Google's data collection (tricky/risky), mentioning that site compatibility in the new Edge is great, mention that Chrome data can be important, that Chrome extensions work etc. 

And then only start showing that updated text when Edge on Chromium becomes the default Win10 browser.

[#2]

@ChromeRefugee  I agree with you, and I hope that Microsoft is developing a comprehensive marketing plan for this purpose.

Whether it will do much good, though, I don't know. I think that Edge Chromium faces an uphill battle.

Chrome was introduced in late 2009. At that time, IE had a 60% Windows market share, Firefox 30%, and all others fighting for the other 10%. IE was slow, sluggish and aging. Firefox was gaining market share from IE, but it was becoming increasingly slow, sluggish and aging, too. Chrome, a fast, sleek modern browser, had a leg up over the competition.

That isn't true today for Edge Chromium. Chrome has a Windows desktop market share about 65%, Firefox about 9%, IE about 8%, and Edge (Classic) under 5%. Chrome seems to be keeping up with the times, and it isn't becoming slow, sluggish and aging. Firefox reinvented itself a couple years ago with the Quantum build, and is fast and modern.

Edge Chromium is entering a market with strong competition, unlike Chrome in 2009.

On top of that, Chrome is also dominant in the Android market, with Edge Android and Firefox little more than blips on the market, and the mobile market is growing while the desktop/laptop market is not. Many (probably most) users sync between platforms.

And (not to put too fine a point on it), Edge Chromium, like Edge (Classic), will enter the market dragging the dead weight of IE's bad reputation behind it.

That's a lot to overcome, in addition to consumer inertia. I suspect that it is going to take years for Edge Chromium to gain significant market share.

[#3]

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@tomscharbach wrote:

@ChromeRefugee  I agree with you, and I hope that Microsoft is developing a comprehensive marketing plan for this purpose.

Whether it will do much good, though, I don't know. I think that Edge Chromium faces an uphill battle.

Chrome was introduced in late 2009. At that time, IE had a 60% Windows market share, Firefox 30%, and all others fighting for the other 10%. IE was slow, sluggish and aging. Firefox was gaining market share from IE, but it was becoming increasingly slow, sluggish and aging, too. Chrome, a fast, sleek modern browser, had a leg up over the competition.

That isn't true today for Edge Chromium. Chrome has a Windows desktop market share about 65%, Firefox about 9%, IE about 8%, and Edge (Classic) under 5%. Chrome seems to be keeping up with the times, and it isn't becoming slow, sluggish and aging. Firefox reinvented itself a couple years ago with the Quantum build, and is fast and modern.

Edge Chromium is entering a market with strong competition, unlike Chrome in 2009.

On top of that, Chrome is also dominant in the Android market, with Edge Android and Firefox little more than blips on the market, and the mobile market is growing while the desktop/laptop market is not. Many (probably most) users sync between platforms.

And (not to put too fine a point on it), Edge Chromium, like Edge (Classic), will enter the market dragging the dead weight of IE's bad reputation behind it.

That's a lot to overcome, in addition to consumer inertia. I suspect that it is going to take years for Edge Chromium to gain significant market share.

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@tomscharbach 

I have to strongly disagree with you as for Edge Chromium taking years to gain significant market.

The only reason Chrome has such a huge market is because they are preloaded on every single Android smartphone/tablet out there.... Even being a huge datamining/unsecure/unsafe browser it has a huge audience of folks with their smartphones/tablets that have no clue what chrome is doing in the background....

I've tried a lot of browsers over the years and I do mean years.. from Netscape, firefox and others that I've forgotten about and I've always gone back to IE.  Even now once in a while I'll go into IE becasue there are some security settings that are easier to get to from IE than in Edge.

I think that as long as MS gives its customer base the ablility to remove any addons or extensions they don't want installed with Edge and allow Edge Chromium to keep its current speed it will go along way and have no trouble staying way ahead of Chrome. Even with the features most folks are asking for "spell checker" "add onenote" "grammerly" etc.. etc...etc... If MS gives us the customer the ability to not use/add the spell checker or whatever else, this browser will go a long, long way....

Well, thats my 20cents woth...
Dennis5mile

[#4]

@Dennis5mile "The only reason Chrome has such a huge market is because they are preloaded on every single Android smartphone/tablet out there ..."

The market share percentages I cited were for Windows desktop/laptop computers. 

Chrome, oddly enough, has a lower overall share of the mobile market than it does of the desktop/laptop market because of the large numbers of iPhones and iPads in the mobile market.  Safari owns close to a 20% share of that market.  On Android devices, of course, Chrome is very dominant, and that is, as you say, a driver of Chrome's success on the desktop, because most people want to sync between devices.

I agree with your comments about Chrome's deficiencies.  I don't put Chrome on any of my computers, period.  I have Chrome installed on my Android devices, of course, but I use either Firefox (on pre-8 devices) or Edge Android (on 8 and later devices).  If I could get rid of Chrome on my Android devices, I would.  I can't uninstall it, but I can, and so, disable it.

Chrome's security is awful.  That's one of the reasons I go insane when I hear things like "Edge Chromium's warnings about third-party software putting users into Administrative Mode is a feature."  WTF?  A browser should never run in Administrative Mode.  Edge (Classic) will not allow the browser to operate in Administrative Mode, period, and Edge Chromium, at a bare minimum, should be set so that Administrative Mode cannot run.  Microsoft better not blow security on Edge Chromium. If Edge Chromium is not set up to run on its own kernel or is otherwise effectively sandboxed, I won't use it.  Period.  Firefox Quantum is a fine browser, Android/Windows/Linux cross-platformed, secure, and isn't tied into an ecosystem.

I think that what is keeping Chrome afloat is mostly a matter of Chrome's customer inertia.  Chrome got a good reputation during the IE 8-9 era, consumers just got used to it, and stick with it because it is not worth the effort for them to change.

We are all guessing about Edge Chromium's future, in terms of gaining market share.  Your opinion is as likely to be correct as mine is.  I hope your prediction is actuated, and mine is not.  

We'll see what happens.  Meanwhile, let's all of us work to help Microsoft get Edge Chromium out of the box in the best shape possible.  I don't think that Edge Chromium can afford a bad launch.

[#5]

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@tomscharbach wrote:

I agree with your comments about Chrome's deficiencies.  I don't put Chrome on any of my computers, period.  I have Chrome installed on my Android devices, of course, but I use either Firefox (on pre-8 devices) or Edge Android (on 8 and later devices).  If I could get rid of Chrome on my Android devices, I would.  I can't uninstall it, but I can, and so, disable it.

Chrome's security is awful.  That's one of the reasons I go insane when I hear things like "Edge Chromium's warnings about third-party software putting users into Administrative Mode is a feature."  WTF?  A browser should never run in Administrative Mode.  Edge (Classic) will not allow the browser to operate in Administrative Mode, period, and Edge Chromium, at a bare minimum, should be set so that Administrative Mode cannot run.  Microsoft better not blow security on Edge Chromium. If Edge Chromium is not set up to run on its own kernel or is otherwise effectively sandboxed, I won't use it.  Period.  Firefox Quantum is a fine browser, Android/Windows/Linux cross-platformed, secure, and isn't tied into an ecosystem.

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@tomscharbach 

I agree as I do not have Chrome on anything I own.. and on my phone it is disabled as well.....

I did get a chuckle with the "That's one of the reasons I go insane when I hear things like "Edge Chromium's warnings about third-party software putting users into Administrative Mode is a feature."  WTF? "  
I agree... 

I don't understand given where the extension is coming from "chome google store" why anyone would use it no matter what the extension/addon does......    You might as well just hand them your password and everything else......

   I've always trusted MS for making sure all is secure and I'm sure they will make every effort with making this new edge just as safe as well.........  I have a lot of faith in them....

Dennis5mile

[#6]

@ChromeRefugee -- I believe a lot of people who are helping here, are doing so because they wish for Edge to have a proper launch and build up a good market share. There is also something I believe a lot of us have in common: a profound distrust of Google. I so hate that company, even more than Facebook.

I only use things I can't do without like Youtube and the Google translate web site. It is the best tool that I know of to enter Japanese characters. I rarely do searches with Google ever. That is also why I refuse to purchase an Android phone. Even without using Chrome, I believe the phone is stealing all the information it can from us. That is one reason I use iPhones.

I wish the Microsoft team the best of luck and am willing to offer what little help I can provide by being an Insider.