Microsoft will start pushing Net Explorer (IE) nine to users in earnest beginning in the end of June 2011, making use of its Windows Update mechanism, officers stated this week.
Microsoft released the final edition of IE nine on March 14. Microsoft “turned on” Windows Update for people who had installed the Beta and/or Release Candidate (RC) versions of its latest browser on March 29.
(Microsoft originally communicated via Twitter that IE9 would be pushed broadly via Windows Update on March 21,
Windows 7 Download, but later amended its story.)
I asked a Microsoft spokesperson for more details about the coming rollout. Will it be staggered? How many weeks/months will it take? Will the updates be designated as “important” or “critical”? I was told ““We will have more to share on the delivery of IE9 via WU and WSUS (Windows Server Update Services) with the coming months.”
This isn’t the first time Microsoft will be pushing a model of World wide web Explorer using Windows Update. Microsoft did the same with IE 8. In IE8’s case, on Windows XP and Server 2003, the update as marked as high-priority. On Windows Vista and Server 2008 it was designated as “Important.” Users were prompted as to whether they wanted to be asked about installing IE 8 later, to install it immediately or to not install it.
As with IE 8, there is an IE 9 blocking tool,
Windows 7 Professional Product Key, which administrators can apply if they haven’t yet adequately tested IE nine and/or if they don’t want their customers to have access to it.
Microsoft officers mentioned IE nine was downloaded 2.3 million times inside the first 24 hours it was available. As others have noted, Firefox 4 was downloaded 5.5 million times in its first 24 hours. Microsoft’s March 29 “Exploring IE” blog post came off a bit defensive about the discrepancies in downloads. (But with click-bait headlines like this, I’d be defensive,
Office Pro 2007 Key, too.)
Ryan Gavin, Senior Director, Online Explorer Business and Marketing,
Office 2010 Pro, noted in his post about measuring browser adoption:
“As a matter of fact,
Office 2010 Sale, of the downloads we’ve seen through Sunday, March 27th, over 90% have come from non-IE9 RC and Beta people. And remember, we report completed downloads – not attempted downloads where a user may hit a download button repeatedly but without fully downloading IE9.”
I’ve seen a couple of reports from people (thanks @Randall_Lind) who already downloaded the last model of IE nine that they’re still being prompted by Windows Update to install the final model. I’ve asked Microsoft why this is happening and will update this post once I get an answer.