"Fixing" Edge may not be an easy task; it may well be fairly difficult. Microsoft, however, should understand that the browser feels unfinished, and there's no point in browbeating people to use it.
In a newly leaked version of Windows 10 (build 10568), a feature sends a message to users who attempt to change default browsers and lists the upsides of using "an app built just for Windows 10." Beneath the message, a "Give Microsoft Edge a Shot" button opens Edge instead of the third-party options and doesn't change the default setting. (Hat tip to the reporters from TheVerge.com for spotting this strange new feature.)
It's possible the "begging feature" will never appear in an official Windows 10 release. The fact that Microsoft is even considering such a seemingly desperate action, however, indicates the company will continue to play rough with its competition.
When users first install Windows 10, the Edge browser automatically becomes their default. It's relatively simple to change that setting, but it takes more clicks and more time than it has in past versions of the OS. "It now takes more than twice the number of mouse clicks, scrolling through content and some technical sophistication for people to reassert the choices they had previously made in earlier versions of Windows,” said Chris Beard, CEO of the Mozilla Foundation, which develops Firefox, in a blog post published shortly after Windows 10 was released in late July.
Then there's the fact that Edge won't support browser extensions until sometime next year. Browser add-ons, which are supported by every other major browser, perform a range of useful tasks, including some important privacy- and security-related functions, such as storing passwords, blocking phishing sites, killing tracking cookies and disabling ads. But they won't work with Edge. And that's a deal breaker for any user who wants to take advantage of those useful features.
Microsoft has not specified exactly when it will add support for add-ons to Edge. When writers at WinBeta.org followed up on a rumor that the fix won't occur until sometime next year, the company responded with a non-answer:
Unfortunately for Microsoft, by the time Edge is truly ready for primetime, few people may care.