SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Internet Explorer is finally headed out to pasture.
As of Wednesday, Microsoft will no longer support the once-dominant browser that legions of web surfers loved to hate — and a few still claim to adore. The 27-year-old application now joins BlackBerry phones, dial-up modems and Palm Pilots in the dustbin of tech history.
IE’s demise was not a surprise. A year ago, Microsoft said that it was putting an end to Internet Explorer on June 15, 2022, pushing users to its Edge browser, which was launched in 2015.
AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File
FILE - The Microsoft Internet Explorer logo is projected on a screen during a Microsoft Xbox E3 media briefing in Los Angeles, June 4, 2012. As of Wednesday, June 15, 2022, Microsoft will no longer support the once-dominant browser that legions of web surfers loved to hate and a few still claim to adore.
The company made clear then it was time to move on.
“Not only is Microsoft Edge a faster, more secure and more modern browsing experience than Internet Explorer, but it is also able to address a key concern: compatibility for older, legacy websites and applications,” Sean Lyndersay, general manager of Microsoft Edge Enterprise, wrote in a May 2021 blog post.
Users marked Explorer’s passing on Twitter, with some referring to it as a “bug-ridden, insecure POS” or the “top browser for installing other browsers.” For others it was a moment for 90’s nostalgia memes, while The Wall Street Journal quoted a 22-year-old who was sad to see IE go.
Microsoft released the first version of Internet Explorer in 1995, the antediluvian era of web surfing dominated by the first widely popular browser, Netscape Navigator. Its launch signaled the beginning of the end of Navigator: Microsoft went on to tie IE and its ubiquitous Windows operating system together so tightly that many people simply used it by default instead of Navigator.
The Justice Department sued Microsoft in 1997, saying it violated an earlier consent decree by requiring computer makers to use its browser as a condition of using Windows. It eventually agreed to settle the antitrust battle in 2002 over its use of its Windows monopoly to squash competitors. It also tangled with European regulators who said that tying Internet Explorer to Windows gave it an unfair advantage over rivals such as Mozilla’s Firefox, Opera and Google’s Chrome.
Users, meanwhile, complained that IE was slow, prone to crashing and vulnerable to hacks. IE’s market share, which in the early 2000s was over 90%, began to fade as users found more appealing alternatives.
Today, the Chrome browser dominates with roughly a 65% share of the worldwide browser market, followed by Apple’s Safari with 19%, according to internet analytics company Statcounter. IE’s heir, Edge, lags with about about 4%, just ahead of Firefox.
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antoniodiaz // Shutterstock
The internet of things has become a buzzword you’ve likely seen in the news over the last several years. As more people buy smartwatches, autopilot-enabled cars, smart TVs, game consoles, or even smart refrigerators, the internet of things grows in its vastness and depth, with billions of electronics online at any moment.
These rapid technological developments are enough to make your head spin as a consumer. IoT Secure demystifies the internet of things and the most common electronic devices and networks linked to it.
You can buy practically any appliance now that has been enabled with "smart technology"—generally a type of tiny transmitter, from a radio frequency identification tag to smartphones and tablets linked to cellular networks. These devices’ communications range from a simple ping verifying location to a full user interface with built-in GPS, like a smartwatch. Their defining feature is that they can not only communicate with one another, but also transmit data to a central hub like a corporation or manufacturer. Then there are devices designed for constant interaction with humans. For example, a smartwatch that records not only your exercise heart rate and calories burned, but also logs how many hours you sleep.
Read on to find answers to some of the most common questions about IoT devices. We’ll demystify the technology, as well as present some of the risks you may have heard about from linking your Alexa or home thermostat to the internet.
antoniodiaz // Shutterstock
The internet of things has become a buzzword you’ve likely seen in the news over the last several years. As more people buy smartwatches, autopilot-enabled cars, smart TVs, game consoles, or even smart refrigerators, the internet of things grows in its vastness and depth, with billions of electronics online at any moment.
These rapid technological developments are enough to make your head spin as a consumer. IoT Secure demystifies the internet of things and the most common electronic devices and networks linked to it.
You can buy practically any appliance now that has been enabled with "smart technology"—generally a type of tiny transmitter, from a radio frequency identification tag to smartphones and tablets linked to cellular networks. These devices’ communications range from a simple ping verifying location to a full user interface with built-in GPS, like a smartwatch. Their defining feature is that they can not only communicate with one another, but also transmit data to a central hub like a corporation or manufacturer. Then there are devices designed for constant interaction with humans. For example, a smartwatch that records not only your exercise heart rate and calories burned, but also logs how many hours you sleep.
Read on to find answers to some of the most common questions about IoT devices. We’ll demystify the technology, as well as present some of the risks you may have heard about from linking your Alexa or home thermostat to the internet.
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Friends Stock // Shutterstock
In 2022, it’s hard to overstate how common it is to find devices that are part of the internet of things, or IoT. Smartwatches are the most popular IoT, with Apple shipping 31 million Apple Watches in 2019 alone. Smartwatches are usually tied to your cellular provider so it can stay online while you roam. A lot of the information they gather is the same data that you’d find being constantly collected by your smartphone.
Gaming consoles are the second most popular type of device linked to IoT, with high-speed internet connections that download new games and keep others constantly online. Smart TVs are the third most popular, as more people opt for big screens that can seamlessly stream all their favorite shows. The fourth most popular type of IoT is voice-controlled devices like Alexa, which also introduces a host of questions about privacy and security.
The fifth most popular IoT category is scanners and printers. You’ll still find many in home offices, despite smartphone camera apps more recently replacing their functions. The sixth and the most important type of IoT for home security is also the most potentially problematic for privacy: video cameras. This applies especially to cameras on laptops and tablets equipped with microphones that can detect and record conversations.
Friends Stock // Shutterstock
In 2022, it’s hard to overstate how common it is to find devices that are part of the internet of things, or IoT. Smartwatches are the most popular IoT, with Apple shipping 31 million Apple Watches in 2019 alone. Smartwatches are usually tied to your cellular provider so it can stay online while you roam. A lot of the information they gather is the same data that you’d find being constantly collected by your smartphone.
Gaming consoles are the second most popular type of device linked to IoT, with high-speed internet connections that download new games and keep others constantly online. Smart TVs are the third most popular, as more people opt for big screens that can seamlessly stream all their favorite shows. The fourth most popular type of IoT is voice-controlled devices like Alexa, which also introduces a host of questions about privacy and security.
The fifth most popular IoT category is scanners and printers. You’ll still find many in home offices, despite smartphone camera apps more recently replacing their functions. The sixth and the most important type of IoT for home security is also the most potentially problematic for privacy: video cameras. This applies especially to cameras on laptops and tablets equipped with microphones that can detect and record conversations.
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McLittle Stock // Shutterstock
IoT devices are all connected to the internet and designed to form systems to communicate amongst themselves as part of an interlinked network. This interconnectivity allows them to automate or remotely control different processes, like turning off lights or monitoring your backyard. IoT devices can collect and transmit information, just like almost every other electronic device.
The simplest type of IoT is radio frequency identification, or RFID, which is when devices send pings back and forth to indicate their location. Other devices grow in complexity as they use more bandwidth, transmitting continuously via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and cellular networks.
McLittle Stock // Shutterstock
IoT devices are all connected to the internet and designed to form systems to communicate amongst themselves as part of an interlinked network. This interconnectivity allows them to automate or remotely control different processes, like turning off lights or monitoring your backyard. IoT devices can collect and transmit information, just like almost every other electronic device.
The simplest type of IoT is radio frequency identification, or RFID, which is when devices send pings back and forth to indicate their location. Other devices grow in complexity as they use more bandwidth, transmitting continuously via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and cellular networks.
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RossHelen // Shutterstock
IoT devices collect data for automation, like when you tell your smart thermostat what hours you’re away from home and when to warm up your bedroom. All the collected data form an impression of how you use your devices so devices can begin to forecast behavioral patterns. This can make for better predictions—as well as highly targeted marketing—that represent the highest and often controversial value captured by Amazon and other corporations that operate IoT products.
RossHelen // Shutterstock
IoT devices collect data for automation, like when you tell your smart thermostat what hours you’re away from home and when to warm up your bedroom. All the collected data form an impression of how you use your devices so devices can begin to forecast behavioral patterns. This can make for better predictions—as well as highly targeted marketing—that represent the highest and often controversial value captured by Amazon and other corporations that operate IoT products.
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Zapp2Photo // Shutterstock
A variety of industries use IoT device data. Companies can use ongoing location data from devices like smartwatches to create profiles of users' daily commutes, plus locations commuters are avoiding due to service outages or construction.
Logistics companies can use container RFID and GPS data to identify efficiencies and sell lower-cost shipping. Electric utilities can use consumer thermostat data to help adjust the grid for lower power consumption depending on the time of day, seasonality, and severe temperature swings. As robots and other devices integrate improved RFID technology, manufacturers hope to combine IoT with artificial intelligence to revolutionize how they measure and improve the performance of their machinery.
Zapp2Photo // Shutterstock
A variety of industries use IoT device data. Companies can use ongoing location data from devices like smartwatches to create profiles of users' daily commutes, plus locations commuters are avoiding due to service outages or construction.
Logistics companies can use container RFID and GPS data to identify efficiencies and sell lower-cost shipping. Electric utilities can use consumer thermostat data to help adjust the grid for lower power consumption depending on the time of day, seasonality, and severe temperature swings. As robots and other devices integrate improved RFID technology, manufacturers hope to combine IoT with artificial intelligence to revolutionize how they measure and improve the performance of their machinery.
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MONOPOLY919 // Shutterstock
We’ve seen the ways that IoT can improve consumer experiences and change industries, but what about the security risks? In general, the more IoT devices and networks that interact with your life, the greater the risks will be that one of them could be targeted by hackers. Despite precautions such as Wi-Fi router encryption and network password changes, there is always some possibility that hackers can intercept the data being transmitted by smart devices.
There’s also an additional risk that hackers could send false or malicious data to the devices themselves, like changing the thermostat to overheat your house, or reprogramming your onboard GPS that you use for directions. In one example of IoT security vulnerabilities, one teenage hacker recently claims to have infiltrated dozens of Tesla electric vehicles across 13 countries due to owners not safeguarding their settings.
News stories in recent years have highlighted how data gathered by worn devices and smartphones can reveal sensitive sites, protection protocols for important figures, or even military troop locations on the battlefield. In 2018 Wired and the Washington Post reported that FitBit smartwatches worn by deployed U.S. special forces personnel during workouts were a big concern for the Pentagon, after data linked to a smartwatch fitness app exposed the locations of sensitive bases in Afghanistan and Syria.
This story originally appeared on IoT Secure and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.
MONOPOLY919 // Shutterstock
We’ve seen the ways that IoT can improve consumer experiences and change industries, but what about the security risks? In general, the more IoT devices and networks that interact with your life, the greater the risks will be that one of them could be targeted by hackers. Despite precautions such as Wi-Fi router encryption and network password changes, there is always some possibility that hackers can intercept the data being transmitted by smart devices.
There’s also an additional risk that hackers could send false or malicious data to the devices themselves, like changing the thermostat to overheat your house, or reprogramming your onboard GPS that you use for directions. In one example of IoT security vulnerabilities, one teenage hacker recently claims to have infiltrated dozens of Tesla electric vehicles across 13 countries due to owners not safeguarding their settings.
News stories in recent years have highlighted how data gathered by worn devices and smartphones can reveal sensitive sites, protection protocols for important figures, or even military troop locations on the battlefield. In 2018 Wired and the Washington Post reported that FitBit smartwatches worn by deployed U.S. special forces personnel during workouts were a big concern for the Pentagon, after data linked to a smartwatch fitness app exposed the locations of sensitive bases in Afghanistan and Syria.
This story originally appeared on IoT Secure and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.
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Canva
The Internet of Things is a huge buzzword right now. The term refers to the use of devices that are connected to the internet, but without a traditional user input like on a computer or smartphone. Using news sources and reports by experts, IoT Secure collected information about how businesses are accelerating growth in the Internet of Things.
Every generation of electronics has gotten smarter, but it’s only in the recent past that electronics have gotten “smart”—a technical term referring to smart TVs, refrigerators, and other devices that are connected to the internet. These devices are able to communicate with each other and send data on user behaviors, for example, allowing you to use a remote phone application in order to adjust your home thermostat so everything is cool and comfortable when you get home.
In-home applications make up a large part of the IoT device market, but there is ongoing growth with the potential to transform many different business industries. It’s here that IoT gets many business leaders excited as they look for ways to make manufacturing and other industries more efficient and better gauge and respond to supply and demand. Health care is another vital industry that could be revolutionized via IoT, with better monitoring and support for doctors, nurses, and home health aides.
Canva
The Internet of Things is a huge buzzword right now. The term refers to the use of devices that are connected to the internet, but without a traditional user input like on a computer or smartphone. Using news sources and reports by experts, IoT Secure collected information about how businesses are accelerating growth in the Internet of Things.
Every generation of electronics has gotten smarter, but it’s only in the recent past that electronics have gotten “smart”—a technical term referring to smart TVs, refrigerators, and other devices that are connected to the internet. These devices are able to communicate with each other and send data on user behaviors, for example, allowing you to use a remote phone application in order to adjust your home thermostat so everything is cool and comfortable when you get home.
In-home applications make up a large part of the IoT device market, but there is ongoing growth with the potential to transform many different business industries. It’s here that IoT gets many business leaders excited as they look for ways to make manufacturing and other industries more efficient and better gauge and respond to supply and demand. Health care is another vital industry that could be revolutionized via IoT, with better monitoring and support for doctors, nurses, and home health aides.
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Prostock-studio // Shutterstock
Businesses have increased spending by over 10% in each of the last three years on IoT devices. Part of this spending is in development of devices intended for consumer use, such as smartwatches, wearable fitness monitors, and video game consoles. There has also been a rise in the cost of raw materials that go into making the batteries that power these devices. Another part of the spending growth is by businesses that are upgrading to fully integrate IoT devices into their operations. The leading industries for IoT growth are health care and manufacturing.
Prostock-studio // Shutterstock
Businesses have increased spending by over 10% in each of the last three years on IoT devices. Part of this spending is in development of devices intended for consumer use, such as smartwatches, wearable fitness monitors, and video game consoles. There has also been a rise in the cost of raw materials that go into making the batteries that power these devices. Another part of the spending growth is by businesses that are upgrading to fully integrate IoT devices into their operations. The leading industries for IoT growth are health care and manufacturing.
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Nikola Stanisic // Shutterstock
The Internet of Things is an umbrella term encompassing “smart” devices like TVs and refrigerators as well as other machines like your car and video game console. These devices are connected to the internet, but don’t have a traditional user interface associated with a personal computer or smartphone. But it’s easy to see how those categories could add up to the estimated 18 billion IoT devices in the world, with potential for a high number within the same connected family group. The number of devices will continue to rise as more people upgrade their household appliances and vehicles.
Nikola Stanisic // Shutterstock
The Internet of Things is an umbrella term encompassing “smart” devices like TVs and refrigerators as well as other machines like your car and video game console. These devices are connected to the internet, but don’t have a traditional user interface associated with a personal computer or smartphone. But it’s easy to see how those categories could add up to the estimated 18 billion IoT devices in the world, with potential for a high number within the same connected family group. The number of devices will continue to rise as more people upgrade their household appliances and vehicles.
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Canva
According to global markets intelligence firm IDC, IoT devices are expected to create 90 zettabytes of total information by 2025. A zettabyte is a unit representing a billion terabytes, or a trillion gigabytes—your smartphone might have 64 gigabytes of storage, by comparison. And it makes sense that IoT devices will generate this much data. The devices include voice recognition devices like Alexa that record sound on a regular basis as well as nanny cams and other camera-equipped devices that take photos or record video files. Some IoT devices have on-board storage, while others are designed to transmit the data to a home computer, reducing the need for inbuilt storage.
Canva
According to global markets intelligence firm IDC, IoT devices are expected to create 90 zettabytes of total information by 2025. A zettabyte is a unit representing a billion terabytes, or a trillion gigabytes—your smartphone might have 64 gigabytes of storage, by comparison. And it makes sense that IoT devices will generate this much data. The devices include voice recognition devices like Alexa that record sound on a regular basis as well as nanny cams and other camera-equipped devices that take photos or record video files. Some IoT devices have on-board storage, while others are designed to transmit the data to a home computer, reducing the need for inbuilt storage.
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Blue Planet Studio // Shutterstock
McKinsey estimates that IoT will become a $5.5 to $12.6 trillion industry by 2030. This growth will be fueled by use in the specific environments that will thrive most by using IoT devices. These industries include manufacturing, where manufacturers are able to take advantage of smart devices that share data and provide instant feedback. Other industries adding value from IoT include health care, where cutting-edge technology can save more lives and ensure better outcomes. McKinsey points out that besides these business-to-business applications, IoT devices have proven to be popular with consumers for use in their homes and cars.
Blue Planet Studio // Shutterstock
McKinsey estimates that IoT will become a $5.5 to $12.6 trillion industry by 2030. This growth will be fueled by use in the specific environments that will thrive most by using IoT devices. These industries include manufacturing, where manufacturers are able to take advantage of smart devices that share data and provide instant feedback. Other industries adding value from IoT include health care, where cutting-edge technology can save more lives and ensure better outcomes. McKinsey points out that besides these business-to-business applications, IoT devices have proven to be popular with consumers for use in their homes and cars.
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Zapp2Photo // Shutterstock
As a manufacturing hub that’s home to 1.4 billion people, McKinsey estimates that China will have more than 26% of the global IoT industry’s value by 2030. With such a large portion of the potential IoT market, China has an opportunity to capitalize on what McKinsey identifies as the two most valuable portions of the growth in IoT value. First is operations productivity, meaning the efficiency with which people and machinery are able to fabricate materials, build devices, and more. Second is improving human productivity, a category that could include workers in almost every industry.
This story originally appeared on IoT Secure and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.
Zapp2Photo // Shutterstock
As a manufacturing hub that’s home to 1.4 billion people, McKinsey estimates that China will have more than 26% of the global IoT industry’s value by 2030. With such a large portion of the potential IoT market, China has an opportunity to capitalize on what McKinsey identifies as the two most valuable portions of the growth in IoT value. First is operations productivity, meaning the efficiency with which people and machinery are able to fabricate materials, build devices, and more. Second is improving human productivity, a category that could include workers in almost every industry.
This story originally appeared on IoT Secure and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.
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