Microsoft To Ditch Internet Explorer Brand

After being blighted by security concerns, sluggish performance and frustrated users, Microsoft (NasdaqGS: MSFT - news) has unveiled plans to ditch the Internet Explorer brand.

Under the codename Project Spartan, the tech company is launching a complete overhaul of its web browser - and hopes a faster, sleeker alternative will encourage users to download it on their PCs, smartphones and tablets.

Internet Explorer was an essential tool for getting online in the 1990s, but in the face of strong competition from Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome, the software has been lambasted by some critics as being "only good for downloading other web browsers".

Despite Microsoft creating tongue-in-cheek adverts where it concedes IE is the browser that "everyone loves to hate", it has been unable to shake off the negative image associated with the brand.

Chris Capossela, the company's marketing chief, has confirmed the browser will be rebranded when Windows 10 launches later this year - but its name is yet to be announced.

Although far from well liked, Internet Explorer is definitely well known.

At one point, its market share of online users was believed to be in excess of 90%, partly because of how the browser was pre-installed on Windows operating systems.

In 2013, Microsoft was fined $730m (£495m) by EU regulators because Windows users had not been given the chance to choose a different browser - leading the company to fall foul of competition rules.