- PROSFaster and more standards-compliant than any previous IE version. Interface is more trim than others. Excellent security and privacy features. Site pinning for frequently used Web applications. Best graphics hardware acceleration. Helpful new-tab page. Download manager with download reputation protection. WebGL support.
- CONSNo syncing. No WebRTC support. SPDY only on Windows 8.1. Only installs on Windows 7 and 8.1.
- BOTTOM LINEThe new Internet Explorer is fast, lean, and standards compliant. Its only major drawbacks are that it doesn't run on OS versions earlier than Windows 7 and doesn't offer syncing for that OS.
- Microsoft's desktop software efforts are laser-focused on the new Windows—Windows 8.1—and an integral part of that new operating system is its browser. Internet Explorer 11 not only serves as the default browser, but also powers some of the new-style apps in Windows 8.1. But Windows 7 still dwarfs new OS in terms of user number, with recent Net Applications numbers showing a commanding 46 percent market share ahead of XP's 31 percent and Windows 8 and 8.1's 9.25 percent. So it makes good sense to bring the company's latest and greatest browser version to the most-used desktop OS on the planet.
