Plainly Microsoft is as much as its outdated tips in attempting to push individuals to make use of its merchandise, as soon as once more, and this time the trick is to influence Edge customers to modify their search engine to Bing.
As Home windows Central found, developer Brad Sams (of Stardock fame) introduced Microsoft’s newest bout of “anti-user habits” to our consideration in a publish on X (previously Twitter).
The one factor conserving me on Edge is that I can alt+tab between open tabs…is there a Chrome plugin that makes this attainable? That is anti-user habits by @MicrosoftEdge pic.twitter.com/JCvRm7PiGV18 December 2023
Sams makes use of the Edge browser, however was requested to modify to Bing because the default search engine as a substitute of Google, as you possibly can see within the screenshot above.
This is not the primary time Microsoft has promoted Bing in such a method, alongside powering different providers, together with Edge itself and OneDrive. (Seek for a brand new browser in Edge, for instance, and you will get a banner telling you there is no have to obtain one other internet browser, and the varied the explanation why).
The Bing search engine continues to wrestle for market share in opposition to the would possibly of Google, with the Microsoft creation securing simply 3.2% of the market by November 2023, in response to Statcounter.
Evaluation: Bing progress – or lack thereof
Microsoft hoped that Bing Chat, its AI now renamed Copilot, would assist increase the ranks of Bing search customers when it launched early this yr – however as we will see, that hasn’t occurred. The Bing search engine had a 3% share at the beginning of 2023, in response to Statcounter’s figures, so it is up 0.2% over the yr – a reasonably small improve.
So it is secure to say that the AI angle is not out for Bing search, though Microsoft is now beginning to consider what its numerous merchandise can do for Copilot, somewhat than what the chatbot can do for these merchandise. (Witness the debut of Copilot in Home windows 10, driving the consumer base of AI, as a substitute of holding Copilot as a carrot to drive migration to Home windows 11).
Anyway, it doesn’t matter what a part of Microsoft’s huge puzzle of services and products we’re speaking about, we do not need to see prompts in Edge or Home windows 11 or wherever else attempting to twist customers’ arms to modify to a different Microsoft creation.
And in equity, Google does this kind of factor too, pushing Chrome and its personal search – however not as typically as Microsoft in our expertise. Can we please cease the varied prompts for 2024, Microsoft? As a result of if something, throughout 2023 they appear to have change into extra widespread once more.