Microsoft has renamed its Microsoft Edge web browser for Android and iOS to Microsoft Edge: AI Browser. A visit to the Google Play Store or Apple App Store page of the browser confirms the change.
Microsoft has not yet announced the change or explained why it has changed the browser’s name. A possible explanation is the company’s push to integrating AI into many of its products.
The description on the store pages focuses on AI functionality: “Microsoft Edge, your AI-powered browser, with Copilot built in to enhance your browsing experience. Empowered by GPT-4 , Copilot enables you to ask questions, refine searches, receive comprehensive summaries and create images with DALL-E 3. Microsoft Edge is a smarter way to browse, find, create and shop on the go.”
The description focuses on the Copilot AI that is part of Microsoft Edge. Edge users on mobile devices may use it for a number of options. These include getting article summaries, identification of items on images, the creation of images using words and the usual chatting with AI.
The name change could confuse some users, as the desktop version is still referred to as Microsoft Edge only. It may also be confusing to see the initial update for Microsoft Edge: AI Browser when updating manually or checking for updates.
Microsoft Edge: AI Browser seems to be used only for identification on the app stores. The browser still uses Microsoft Edge as its name when you launch it.
Microsoft Edge is not the most popular browser on mobile devices. Part of it comes from the fact that Microsoft does not operate its own mobile platform. Google and Apple control the mobile platforms and it does not come as a surprise that Chrome and Safari reign supreme on these platforms.
Microsoft Edge has over 50 million downloads on Android and a rating of 4.6. Apple’s App Store reveals no download stats but lists Edge with a rating of 4.7.
It will be interesting to see if the name change will push Microsoft Edge installations on either platform. Initial reactions appear to be mixed. Besides the already-mentioned confusion about the different name, there is also the question of validity. Is Microsoft Edge an AI browser? While it has AI functionality, this makes up just a small part of the browser.
With the same logic, other browser makers could change the names of their browsers to AI browser as well. Heck, even Windows could be renamed to Windows: the AI operating system.
Closing Words
The renaming to Microsoft Edge: AI Browser is a marketing stunt. It may attract the attention of users looking for AI on the app stores.
Whether Microsoft’s strategy pays off remains to be seen.
What is your take on the renaming?
