A simple analysis of who the advertisers are can show that this strategy is extremely unwise. About 10% of all internet users use Firefox, which is not supported. Those numbers apply just to the general public; people advertising with search engines are usually more advanced computer users and so the numbers of people running Linux and/or using Firefox increases dramatically. That means that thousands of users will not be able to access their adCenter account from their favorite work environment.
This is definitely something Microsoft has to re-consider. Despite the fact that they are the makers of Windows and Internet Explorer, their obvious discriminatory tactics might alienate a lot of potential advertisers.
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About the Author
Andrey Milyan
Andrey Milyan is the editor-in-chief of Search Marketing Standard, the leading print publication covering the search marketing industry. He has been following and reporting on industry developments for over 5 years.
Yesterday I was forced to run out of my office and find a PC to sign-up for MSN’s new adCenter due to the fact that Microsoft terminated the ability for a Mac user to download Internet Explorer 6. I can’t believe that I have one more reason to loathe IE! Why is Microsoft shutting out Mac users and alternative browsers? IE is a terrible program and I find it moronic that Microsoft is ignoring all other browsers. Firefox pulled in more than 50m in profit last year; that days of IE dominating the browser market are coming to an end. It is in Microsoft’s best interests to realize the dynamic nature of the current browser market and change their evil ways.