Annoying Apple now?
Image: Microsoft
It has been sneaky, it has Microsoft Edge.
Emerging from the technological core of Google’s Chromium, the new Edge appeared last year with a fanfare of irritation.
Some Windows customers were annoyed that they were being foisted on them.
Some even believed it was simply malware.
The researchers concluded that it was a purgatory of privacy issues.
I downloaded it very early and then I was subject to constant complaints from Microsoft to, well, download the new Edge. Which was an entirely new dimension of irritation.
Still, although I grabbed Firefox as my primary browser, I included Edge in my browser repertoire. It proved to be a quick, agile and quite cheerful addition.
This initially pissed Google off. When the wrong person signed in to their Gmail accounts from the Edge, Google sent a useful message saying that Chrome was better. You know, fast, simple and safe. Supposedly.
Over the months, things seem to calm down. Google and Microsoft reached a rapprochement. Edge is now the second most popular browser – it helps a lot that it reaches all Windows users like the Seattle manna.
Perhaps it is the rapid rise of the Edge that finally made Apple scream in public.
Last week, I opened Edge, just to have a big surprise. In the upper right corner of my MacBook Air, a message appeared. From Apple.
“TRY THE NEW SAFARI,” shouted the headline. The text added: “Fast, energy efficient and with a beautiful design”.
I gasped in awe. I stared and then, of course, took a screenshot.
Notifications in the upper right corner of the screen are usually limited to declarations of a pending update or a complaint about my last backup. But never really selling.
I’ve never seen an Apple ad appear there. I don’t think I ever saw Apple react instantly when I opened a rival product on my MacBook Air.
Cupertino is not happy.
Screenshot by ZDNet
It’s not like every time I open Microsoft Word, Apple pats me on the shoulder and aggressively suggests that I use Pages.
It is not that, every time I open an Excel spreadsheet, Apple complains that I should be using Numbers.
It is true that Apple has become more aggressive in promoting its various services. My iPhone accepts calls to use Apple News and Apple TV +, for example.
Also, I have Safari on my laptop, but I don’t use it often. I find it a bit ugly, which is rare for an Apple product. It looks crushed on the top and unpleasant to the eye.
The beauty of the browser is in the eyes of anyone who sees the MacBook, I suppose.
Still, Apple’s annoyance worked, in its own way. I opened Safari and found that it looked exactly as I remembered it. Somehow, it just doesn’t work for me.
However, I am moved that Apple thinks that browsers are suddenly so important that they will bother users about using Safari.
What can be next? Is Apple telling me to use Pages or is it going to mess with my iPhone? Does Apple insist that I use Keynote instead of PowerPoint?
Or maybe even an Apple campaign that scoffs at Microsoft Edge? This would really be a new level of entertainment.