Microsoft’s Project Spartan Windows 10 Browser Elbowing IE Out

Last last year, word emerged that Microsoft (MSFT) was working on a new lightweight browser code-named Project Spartan not to replace its venerable Internet Explorer but as a companion to its impending Windows 10 operating system.

But that may have been mostly Window dressing, if you’ll pardon the pun. When former IE boss Dean Hachamovitch, who guided the development of Microsoft’s browser for 10 years, recently exited the company, without a formidable advocate IE’s course was bound to change.

And it has. Microsoft marketing head Chris Capossela confirmed at the company’s Convergence 2015 conference in Atlanta earlier this week that it’s looking to brand the Spartan browser, which will serve as the main connection for Windows 10 users to access the Web, something other than another IE version.

“We’re now researching what the new brand, or the new name, for our browser should be in Windows 10,” said Capossela. “We’ll continue to have Internet Explorer, but we’ll also have a new browser called Project Spartan, which is codenamed Project Spartan. We have to name the thing.”

What was most notable about Capossela’s remarks is the certainty the new Windows 10 Spartan browser won’t continue Microsoft’s “Explorer” naming convention, making the difference clear between the new and the old and perhaps signaling the beginning of the end for IE.

Spartan will use a new rendering engine along with a new user interface and support for extensions, making it similar to Google’s (GOOG) Chrome browser. While Spartan will be the only web browser available for Windows 10 on smartphones, Windows 10-equipped PCs will be outfitted with a version of IE 11.

But make no mistake about it, IE isn’t disappearing. It’s a staple performer at the corporate level and Microsoft certainly will continue to support it for several years. Still, without saying as much, Microsoft is making it fairly clear where its browser intentions, and preferences, reside.

This is what the company currently is saying about IE and Spartan: “Project Spartan is Microsoft’s next generation browser, built just for Windows 10. We will continue to make Internet Explorer available with Windows 10 for enterprises and other customers who require legacy browser support.”

According to Windows Central, the Spartan browser will be included in the next preview build of Windows 10, available to members of the Microsoft Fast update ring in April.