Faced with a new kind of browser war, Microsoft has kick-started renewed development around its flagship Internet Explorer (IE), prompting speculation that IE 7.0 could be coming down the pike. With online security fears pushing users away from IE, the software giant has stepped up its effort to restore users" faith in the browser. It has reassigned a high-profile Longhorn evangelist to the IE team, advertised for browser developers and launched a widespread online offensive to solicit feedback from users.
This increased activity around IE has given rise to chatter that Redmond plans to release a new browser ahead of Longhorn"s arrival. The company declined to discuss specifics about its browser release plans outside of the standard response that it was "committed to innovating IE and making it the best Web browsing experience for end users, businesses and developers." "We do not have anything new to announce at this time, but feedback from our customers and what"s important to them will drive features included in future IE releases," a Microsoft spokesperson told internetnews.com.