It appears Microsoft is as much as its previous tips in making an attempt to push folks into utilizing its merchandise, as soon as once more, and this time the play is to influence Edge customers to change their search engine to Bing.

As Home windows Central noticed, developer Brad Sams (of Stardock fame) introduced our consideration to Microsoft’s newest bout of “anti-user conduct” in a publish on X (previously Twitter).

The one factor that retains me on Edge is that I can alt+tab between open tabs…is there a Chrome plugin that allows that? That is anti-user conduct by @MicrosoftEdge pic.twitter.com/JCvRm7PiGVDecember 18, 2023

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Sams makes use of the Edge browser, however was prompted to change to Bing because the default search engine quite than Google, as you may see within the above screenshot.

This isn’t the primary time Microsoft has been selling Bing in such a fashion, alongside driving different providers together with Edge itself and OneDrive. (Seek for a brand new browser in Edge, for instance, and also you’ll get a banner telling you there’s no have to obtain a special net browser, and the varied the explanation why).

The Bing search engine continues to wrestle for market share towards the would possibly of Google, with Microsoft’s creation securing solely 3.2% of the market as of November 2023, in response to Statcounter.

Evaluation: Bing headway – or lack of it

Microsoft hoped that Bing Chat, its AI now-renamed Copilot, would assist to swell the ranks of Bing search customers when it was launched early this yr – however as we are able to see, that hasn’t occurred. The Bing search engine had a 3% share originally of 2023 going by Statcounter’s figures, so has notched that up 0.2% over the course of the yr – a fairly miniscule uptick.

It’s protected to say, then, that the AI angle has not panned out for Bing search, though Microsoft has now began fascinated by what its varied merchandise can do for Copilot, quite than what the chatbot can do for these merchandise. (Witness the debut of Copilot in Home windows 10, driving person numbers of the AI ahead, quite than retaining Copilot as a carrot to drive migration to Home windows 11).

At any fee, no matter piece of Microsoft’s huge jigsaw of services and products we’re speaking about, we don’t need to see prompts in Edge, or Home windows 11, or wherever else, making an attempt to twist the arms of customers to change to a different Microsoft creation.

And honest sufficient, Google does this type of factor too, pushing Chrome and its personal search – however not as usually as Microsoft in our expertise. Can we please lay off the varied prompts for 2024, Microsoft? As a result of if something, all through 2023 they appear to have turn out to be extra prevalent once more.

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