If it is up to Microsoft, the future of web browsing would generally be ad-free. That's how a Microsoft Edge session during the recently concluded Microsoft's Build conference in San Francisco made it appear with the inclusion of what seems to be an update that would include a native ad blocker for the firm's flagship browser.
In an executive presentation featuring the timeline for the browser's development and future updates, one particular item caught a lot of people's attention. It was a brief statement, but it did incite speculation from the session's attendees.
"Build ad blocking features into the browser" and "Targeted for the next version of the browser, version 4682811," one of the slides in the executive presentation read.
If the Edge Browser does adopt native ad blocking, it would be the second flagship Internet browser to adopt the feature. Previously, popular browser Opera launched a developer version of its browser that also kills ads natively.
Other tech companies have cashed in on the ad blocking wave, with Samsung's native browser for Android devices including an ad blocking code as well. Apple's Safari and Google Chrome, two of the most popular browsers used today, also fully embraced the ad blocking trend, enabling extensions and plugins that block advertisements from showing up on web pages.
Internet ads have become a notable annoyance for a lot of web users, especially with the development and emergence of automatic pop-ups and other forms of aggressive advertisements. During recent years, some advertisements have become so aggressive that they end up compromising the web experience of users.
Such is one of the primary reasons why Adblock Plus, a premiere ad blocking service, became such a massive hit, with more than 300 million mobile and desktop users installing the extension on their browsers.
Despite the popularity of ad blocking software, however, Internet firms such as Opera have stated that a native ad blocking feature is still more effective than plugins. Thus, Microsoft's initiative to include ad blocking software to its flagship browser becomes a significant statement about the firm's vision for the future.
Though the ad blocking feature on Microsoft Edge is planned for its future iterations, the tech giant did not announce the exact date the feature will be rolled out. Nevertheless, with the Edge Browser, in addition to Opera adopting native ad blocking features, the age of aggressive Internet ads seem to be coming to a definitive end.
