Microsoft has launched a new rewards program offering Chrome users “real cash value” points to switch to Edge browser[1]. When users search for “Chrome” on Bing, they receive a prompt offering 1,300 Microsoft Rewards points that can be exchanged for gift cards, including on Amazon[1:1].
The Browser Choice Alliance, representing Chrome, Opera and Vivaldi, criticizes this as Microsoft’s latest tactic to manipulate browser choice, following earlier practices like “forced resets, misleading prompts, and hidden settings”[1:2].
The market context shows why Microsoft is pursuing this strategy - Edge holds less than 9% market share compared to Chrome’s 78%[1:3]. The rewards program appears targeted specifically at Chrome users, with Windows Latest noting “we’re not seeing ads for other browsers, such as Opera, Firefox or Brave”[1:4].
They got me at work. Sharepoint, which we’ve transitioned to for everything, fights you tooth and nail every time you try to use it with another browser. I fought edge out of spite for about a year, but I’m tired dog. Wish they’d pay me instead of berating me to death.
I wish my workplace was using Sharepoint… I mean we technically are.
Our intranet homepage now says, “Please access quicklinks through Microsoft Teams under Teams -> All Staff -> General” - so you click on that link, it opens Microsoft Teams, you navigate to the channel where the ‘quicklinks’ tab is, you click on the ‘quicklinks’ tab, it says the page is not supported in Microsoft Teams, you click on the tab and open the link in Edge and LOW AND BEHOLD, you get a Sharepoint page with the ‘quicklinks’. At least I’ll never die of hypothermia because this stuff keeps my blood boiling. It’s soooo stupid.