IE  RIP?
January 1 2015:   As 2015 dawns, global tech media is  swirling with  stories -- almost all of them triggered by one source -- that Microsoft will  unveil an entirely new browser later this month,  a new lightweight product codenamed Spartan. 
The media speculation can be traced back to a column by   ZDNet's  Microsoft watcher Mary-Jo Foley  where she quotes unnamed  moles within the Redmond company to suggest that the announcement of Spartan  ( not possibly its final name) could come as early as January 21  when  Microsoft  has scheduled a media and analyst event to  reveal more details of Windows 10, the next iteration of its Operating System. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella  and other  top honchos are scheduled to reveal all.
Tech watchers also suggest that early editions of Windows 10,  now in its 'Technical Preview' phase will come bundled with both a new Internet Explorer -- 12-- as well as the new spartan option.  IE ( currently in its 11th edition) remains the most used browser, commanding a market of 58%, ahead of Chrome which issued by around 20%.  However   the minority browsers  Foxpro and  Opera have their   smaller but fiercely loyal adherents.
It remains to be seen how agile the new MS browser is in addressing the burgeoning market of portable browsers for phones and tablets.