Get # Microsoft's Speed Revolution: How Edge is Outpacing the Competition

As we move into the digital age, speed is of the essence. Few things are more frustrating than waiting for something to load, whether it’s a page or an app, or deciding on what to watch on your streaming service. Load times are essential to productivity, user experience – and, ultimately, satisfaction. With this in mind, Microsoft has set a goal of making things faster for its users, and specifically starting with making its browser, known as Microsoft Edge, faster. While many might assume that a way to achieve improvements in this area would be to shed the weight of features, Microsoft takes a bold and different approach – it’s pushing forward with faster and sleeker execution. In fact, Microsoft Edge is the first browser to take advantage of this new approach of improved browser performance. Let’s dig into the principles shaping speed and efficiency at Microsoft.

Microsoft's Bold Move: The Browser Essentials Menu

One of Microsoft’s most important performance-enhancing efforts appears prominently in this update: a major redesign of the Edge browser’s user interface. The Browser Essentials menu, a critical element that provides users with insights on how Edge is performing, benefited from migrating to the WebUI 2.0 architecture, with performance showing a whopping 42 per cent speed increase.

Speed Optimization: A Leap Forward with WebUI 2.0

The key here is that WebUI 2.0 is an entirely different architecture, and it leapfrogs over React and JavaScript-based UIs. For Microsoft Edge, the result is a web UI that feels almost Native-like when it comes to browser responsiveness. With that in mind, check out this brief analysis of the Browser Essentials menu in Edge: The first thing that should jump out at you in the above comparison is how quickly the menu loads on WebUI 2.0. In fact, Microsoft has a great video showing these speedups side by side:

Enhanced Browser Performance for All Devices

Most of Microsoft’s Edge performance improvements also reflect this commitment to accessibility and ubiquity, such as optimising Edge for different types of hardware including SSD-less devices and those with less than 8GB of RAM. Performance in the menu is 76 per cent better.

Favorites Menu Gets a Speed Boost

However, Microsoft isn’t done with the Browser Essentials menu. Microsoft has also made Edge’s favourites menu 40 per cent faster. Favourites was overhauled in build 124 to work faster, based on feedback from users, to speed up access to the sites and bookmarks they use most often. The quicker your browser works, the sooner you can move on with the task at hand.

The Significance of Speed in Today's Digital Landscape

With every second counting, Microsoft’s emphasis on speed is not just au courant – it’s essential. The tech giant knows that efficiency and smoothness are key to keeping users happy as they rely more on their browsers for work, learning and play than ever before. Microsoft’s refreshed Edge shows just how committed the company is to meeting that demand.

Why Speed Matters for Microsoft and Users Alike

It’s not just about edging past the competition but about establishing new user expectations, setting a new yardstick for browsing efficiency. For Microsoft, prioritising responsiveness means positioning itself as a forward-thinking user-centred company. For users, concrete rewards include less time spent waiting for pages to render, more time spent reading, working and surfing the web.

Looking to the Future: What's Next for Microsoft Edge?

With such huge advancements, the question is: what’s next? Microsoft has set a strong foundation into the world of today in preparation for a world tomorrow. This signals in the idea that the company wishes to improve, and will do so indefinitely – so much so that Edge will become faster and more efficient over time, and with it, the features that Microsoft wish to bring to the table.

The Role of Feedback in Shaping Edge's Evolution

The most important part of Microsoft’s strategy is listening to users. If Microsoft pays attention to what buyers want and like and don’t like – in this case, listening to its users and having a conversation about Edge – Microsoft will continue to improve and tweak Edge to make sure that it’s always at the edge of browser technology and ease of use.

About Microsoft

For more than 40 years, Microsoft has been a leader in the world of computing, helping people realise their potential and succeed. As they proclaim on their website, Microsoft’s mission is to ‘empower every person and every organisation on the planet to achieve more’. They strive to create software, services, devices and experiences that empower people to achieve more, regardless of their ability; engage individuals, organisations and communities in their own development; and help build a connected community. Microsoft’s dedication is commendable: they’re striving to help create a better future for all.

In conclusion, it is my opinion that even a cursory examination of the progress Microsoft has made in optimising the Edge browser for speed and responsiveness suggests that these developments aren’t simply iterative – they represent a revolution in the user experience. As Microsoft continues to innovate and increase what’s possible, users globally should benefit from faster, more dynamic and ultimately richer browsing interactions.