Windows 10 now notifies users that Chrome is a battery hog

Scorpus

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Microsoft desperately wants more people to use their Edge browser, which is why the company launched a marketing campaign several months ago that attempted to highlight the benefits of using Edge. In particular, Microsoft wanted users to know that you can achieve better battery life by using Edge compared to the most popular web browser, Google Chrome.

The battle between Edge and Chrome has heated up recently, as Microsoft has begun using Windows 10's notification center to inform users that Chrome is a battery hog. The messages, which began appearing for some users last month, state that by switching to Microsoft Edge you can achieve "up to 36% more browsing time".

In a statement released to The Verge, a Microsoft spokesperson said that the warnings about Chrome's battery drain are part of Windows Tips, a collection of informative notifications that appear at relevant times. These tips "were created to provide people with quick, easy information that can help them enhance their Windows 10 experience, including information that can help users extend battery life."

Microsoft does note that users still have the option to choose their own default browser, so the company isn't forcing anyone to use Edge. It's also possible to disable Windows Tips from within Windows 10's notification setting screen.

By using their own operating system to promote Edge through pop-ups and notifications, Microsoft could annoy users who don't care about the benefits of Edge and just want to continue using their browser of choice. It will also be interesting to see if Microsoft uses similar tactics to promote other products in the future.

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As someone who as absolutely refused to open edge on my surface 3,
Is it actually a viable browser? Or is it just "better than I.E."
 
As someone who as absolutely refused to open edge on my surface 3,
Is it actually a viable browser? Or is it just "better than I.E."
Being that IE11 is already a viable browser (though I suppose that depends on who you ask), more of column A than column B. Now that "proper" extension support is out for Edge I should play around with it some more and see how that is.
 
Unfortunately Microsoft's reputation is exactly how they have made it. All about THEIR benefit at any cost to the consumer. Obviously they now understand they cannot compete in an open market because of their greed, so if they cannot win legitimately, they will do whatever they can get away with to win. It will be interesting to see how long it goes on before the Federal Courts step in as they have once before.
 
Well... at least they are not lying about the battery hog thing. I'll add that it is also a memory hog. :D
It doesn't mean I'll switch browsers though.
 
M$ is so self centred and greedy I'm surprised they allow people to use the browsers of their choosing on their OS so I'm nor in the least bit surprised they belittle competitors products. M$'s browsers would be the last ones I'd ever choose to use. I wish I could just simply uninstall that damned Edge thing after I've downloaded Chrome and be done with it instead of only hiding it.
 
Well Chrome is known to be a resource and battery hog, each tab is seen as a separate program to have complete autonomy. If I open 10 tabs in Chrome, my RAM usage is 7gb. Edge uses 6.5GB for the same tabs. So yes it’s less of a resource hog, and from what I’ve read on forums it is less on the battery. Edge also seems snappier and more responsive. I’m talking about Edge with the Aug 2nd update here, I think I’ll keep using it to see if I will make the switch….it’s just that I’ve been using chrome for so many years now and I’m so used to it…
 
As someone who as absolutely refused to open edge on my surface 3,
Is it actually a viable browser? Or is it just "better than I.E."
I tried to use it on Redstone 1 a bit (The Anniversary build).
It was much slower than the other major browsers with a few tabs open, frequently pegging the CPU at 100% when hitting the back button etc.
 
Edge doesn't have features that I care for, and won't let me set the default search engine to Google. Bing is terrible I rarely find what I want on there unless it is a M$ thing.

I'll gladly take the hit on battery life if it means I get what I want from a browser. And this only affects me at work.

At home I use OpenSuSe and Chrome for my web experience. No reason to use Windows for anything except gaming.
 
Didnt Google just release some information on how they reduced the energy consumption on the Chrome browser? It's not like Google isnt listening.

I have not used Edge. I did not like its UI. I tried Vivaldi browser and I liked its UI, and I've tried it. It's not bad. Would continue to try... However, that's just my point... if you dont like something, then you dont like it. My preference to use Google Chrome on Windows is mine, and mine alone. I dont care how much energy it consumes. There's not very many situations where I have to be so energy concience that I would even have to worry about what browser I have open, and I DO OWN a Surface Pro 3 tablet.
 
Don't know if edge is any good because it uses bing and I haven't heard about adblockers for it. When they add these and if it's better than chrome why not, but as it is I need google all the time and it being right in the address bar makes browsing fast and easy. I don't mind which spy on me microsoft or google, I just play games and complain on forums, if someone wants to use money and resources for watching that be my guest, Ill block the ads anyways.
 
Well Chrome is known to be a resource and battery hog, each tab is seen as a separate program to have complete autonomy. If I open 10 tabs in Chrome, my RAM usage is 7gb. Edge uses 6.5GB for the same tabs.
Why don't you be serious and tell us what else you have running. You can open 30 tabs and not be using 4GB, unless you are already using 4GB before you open the browser.
Edge doesn't have features that I care for, and won't let me set the default search engine to Google. Bing is terrible I rarely find what I want on there unless it is a M$ thing.
I for the life of me can't understand why you can't find anything on Bing.
 
Well Chrome is known to be a resource and battery hog, each tab is seen as a separate program to have complete autonomy. If I open 10 tabs in Chrome, my RAM usage is 7gb. Edge uses 6.5GB for the same tabs.
Why don't you be serious and tell us what else you have running. You can open 30 tabs and not be using 4GB, unless you are already using 4GB before you open the browser.
Edge doesn't have features that I care for, and won't let me set the default search engine to Google. Bing is terrible I rarely find what I want on there unless it is a M$ thing.
I for the life of me can't understand why you can't find anything on Bing.

Aight in one tab, search your city with Bing, and in the other, with Google. See the difference? Much easier to read. Also why waste extra time searching for things you need when a search engine such as Google with much superior algorithms does it quickly for you.
 
Why don't they just disable every browser instead of Edge so we are forced to use it?
 
Think how much more god awful bing\ie would be if it wasn't always playing catch up to Google\FF. Chrome should have a statement saying IE uses bing by default, responsible for more top ten ransom ware links then any other search provider. Home of the ignorant and the lazy.
 
Being that IE11 is already a viable browser (though I suppose that depends on who you ask).
You betcha I it is! (y) I'm really into collecting as many cookies as I can, in the shortest possible time, and IE is the very best at that!
 
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