These things aren't trivial, and Microsoft needs more time.
Support for Chrome/Firefox extensions in Microsoft’s new Edge browser have been delayed until 2016. Originally planned for one of the many updates to Windows 10 coming out this year, Microsoft simply needs more time to get it right.
Edge is Microsoft’s new browser for Windows 10 designed to replace Internet Explorer, which also comes with the new OS. Edge strips out a lot of old code for things like OCX and other attempts at standards Microsoft created back in the 1990s. The result is a faster browser with JavaScript performance on par with Chrome and Firefox.
Microsoft sent me the following statement about the delay:
“We’re committed to providing customers with a personalized web experience, which is why bringing extensions to Microsoft Edge continues to be a high priority. We’re actively working to develop a secure extension model to make the safest and most reliable browser for our customers, and look forward to sharing more in a future Windows 10 update in 2016.”
Will it hurt Edge? Edge has challenges as it is. The folks at NetMarketshare put its usage at just 2.4%, although that number is for September and the Windows 10 installed base continues to grow. Remember, Edge is a Windows 10-only product, so its share is directly tied to the Windows 10 population, which is around 110 million worldwide.
But as I’ve said previously, Edge’s real challenge is to lure back Chrome and Firefox users. It will likely cannibalize the IE 11 market share, which is the largest of a very fragmented browser market at 25.2%. Clearly, Microsoft is concerned at some level, because the folks at The Verge got their hands on a Windows 10 preview that includes Microsoft almost begging users to “give Microsoft Edge a shot.”
Sounds kind of desperate for an OS with 110 million installs.
