With the official launch of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 9 only a few weeks away, we already know about some of its impressive capabilities but there is still one thing we’re still left wondering: What does it look like? Will Microsoft continue on with its often clunky and cluttered design or will it join the likes of the sleek and slim Google Chrome?
According to ZDNet, a sneak preview of the next-gen browser seems to indicate that Microsoft is finally ready to join the future.
The image, which ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley grabbed a screen shot of, was accidentally leaked on Microsoft Russia’s press site before being pulled and shows a simplistic and clean design that’s very much the opposite of what we’ve often seen with Internet Explorer.
Foley also grabbed the text from the post and ran it through Bing Translator. According to that text, the new version of Internet Explorer will leave “more room for the (Web) site itself” and the design will include “only what you need to navigate”. Much like other browsers, it looks like IE9 has gotten rid of all the often-unnecessary extras, like menu buttons and the ability to add extensions directly from the browser bar.
According to Foley, the text also mentions that “recognized, protected sites will be treated more like traditional Windows applications” and the ability to snap browser windows to the edges of the screen in Windows 7.
Beyond the new design, the latest version of Internet Explorer will focus on standards and speed, bringing increased Javascript performance, CSS support and built-in hardware-driven graphics acceleration. Microsoft will launch the new browser on September 15 in San Francisco.
