Last Updated:
Microsoft is trying every trick in the book to get people to use its Edge browser which is far behind Chrome in the market.
Edge browser faces flak for this weird move.
Microsoft has tried every trick in the book to get people to use its products like Edge and Bing instead of running over to Google Search and Chrome. And now the company seems to have taken a weird route to get people’s attention.
Reports this week suggest Microsoft actually played a prank on users by showing them Bing with Google-like search interface. Yes, the exact white page, with Google doodle above the search bar.
We weren’t able to find this version of Bing, which is understandable as Microsoft must have taken it down after seeing the backlash around this move. But multiple media reports have been quoted talking about this Bing-Google link which even had the logo of the former but was strategically placed so that you don’t see it on the page.
The company has used tactics like constant pop-ups when you try to search or download Chrome on its browser that comes pre-installed on Windows PCs. This trick from Microsoft understandably did not go down well with people at Google, and its Chrome chief even said, “New year, new low Microsoft,” in a post on X.
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but Microsoft spoofing the Google homepage is another tactic in its long history of tricks to confuse users & limit choice. New year; new low @Microsoft https://t.co/LKSNNKB7Hy
— Parisa Tabriz (@laparisa) January 6, 2025
Chrome has the biggest share in the browser market, while Edge remains a distant third in single digits, with Safari coming second on the chart. You can understand the desperation to eat into its rival’s market but the latest attempt is surely a low point for a company that gets valued at over 1 trillion in the market.
Edge is a capable browser, built on the same Chromium engine as Chrome but Google clearly has a big lead over its rivals and that’s because of how long it has been around in the market. For a company like Microsoft, tricks like these are not ideal and surely the person behind this move must be facing questions from the higher management.
