Microsoft Retires Internet Explorer After Nearly 27 Years

    
    Microsoft’s Internet Explorer was first included with a Windows 95 upgrade pack.
    Ina Fried/CNET
    

    Microsoft is ending support for Internet Explorer on Wednesday, retiring its aging web browser after nearly 27 years. The moment comes more than a year after the company said that its Internet Explorer 11 Windows 10 desktop app would be retired in favor of Microsoft Edge.
    “Not only is Microsoft Edge a faster, more secure and more modern browsing experience than Internet Explorer, but it is also able to address a key concern: compatibility for older, legacy websites and applications,” Microsoft said of its newer browser, which launched in 2015, in a blog post.
    The first version of Internet Explorer was included in a Windows 95 Plus upgrade pack in 1995.?
    It was once the most popular web browser, reportedly having 95% of the market in 2003. Usage dropped as rivals like Google Chrome rose and Microsoft made the?Chromium-powered Edge?its default browse. StatCounter indicated it’s recently held around 0.5% of the market.