Microsoft made several announcements around Microsoft Edge at Ignite 2019, and it can be hard to keep up with them all. Everything from a release date, to a new look, platform availability, and more were detailed. Here's a list of everything we learned about Microsoft Edge at Ignite 2019.
Edge gets a release date
At Ignite, Microsoft finally announced a release date for the stable version of its new Edge browser. That date is January 15, 2020, and will launch "business-ready" on day one. Anyone will be able to download the new Edge on January 15, but a more consumer-orientated launch is planned for spring 2020. It's unknown what this consumer launch will entail, but we'll likely see more consumer-focused features, and perhaps the return of some old Edge features as well.
Microsoft was not clear on when the new Edge will be replacing the old Edge out of the box on Windows 10. Microsoft is looking into different ways to deliver Edge to existing Windows 10 users, including via Windows Update or preloaded on a future Windows 10 feature update. It'll likely happen after the January 15 launch date, regardless.
It will be coming to Linux
Microsoft also announced that the new Edge would be available on Windows, macOS, and at some point in the future, Linux too. Microsoft had teased in the past that a Linux version was in the works, and now it's confirmed officially by the company. The new Microsoft Edge will be available on Windows 7, Windows 8.x, Windows 10, macOS, and Linux. Edge is already available on Android and iOS and will be updated with new features to accompany the desktop browser where it makes sense.
A new brand identity
Alongside the release date, Microsoft also unveiled a brand new identity for Microsoft Edge as a browser. The blue E is no more, replaced with a colorful "surf" icon that's a subtle call-back to the idea of surfing the edge of a wave. Microsoft tells us it also considered rebranding Edge but found that the Edge brand wasn't something people had an issue with, but that a new logo identity was required so that users knew they were using the new Edge instead of the old one.
ARM support now in preview
While not technically announced at Ignite 2019, the new Microsoft Edge is now available in preview for Windows 10 on ARM devices. This is a big deal, as it means the new Edge is now natively compatible with devices like the Surface Pro X. It's unclear if ARM support will be there when Edge stable launches on January 15, but if it isn't, it won't be far behind now that it's in public testing.
Features ready on day one
Microsoft has also locked in which features will be available in the new Edge on day one, with more features coming throughout 2020. Day one features include a new collections mode that allows you to browse the web and throw links and images into a group that can be saved and synced across devices. This is a spiritual successor to old Edge's "set tabs aside" feature.
There's also new privacy tracking features specific to Microsoft Edge that allows users to control just how much data they are sharing with websites while browsing the web. Tracking prevention will minimize the number of data advertisers can use to follow you around the web. If you don't like Amazon recommending products to you that you recently searched for online, tracking prevention will help minimize this.
PDFs inside the new Microsoft Edge will also support inking, just like the old Microsoft Edge. Other features are more specific to Chromium than Edge individually, such as being able to sync tabs, settings, and more across devices. Many features of old Edge are looking like they won't be available on day one, including Set Tabs Aside, inking onto webpages, syncing history with Timeline, and more.
