Update on the Browser Wars

Last week I wrote about how the Browser Wars were heating up again. I ended the piece wondering why anyone would sink a lot of money in making a browser when the lock-in for the search engine was so temporary. My answer came today when I attempted to download the new Internet Explorer 9. I got a big (put on your best western accent) "No can do partner." Apparently in the aftermath of the disastrous releases of Windows ME and Vista, Microsoft is betting on their newest operating system, Windows 7, because if you want IE 9 you have to have some OS that is newer than what I have at work (XP). But therein lies the payoff, at least for Redmond. The browser will trigger OS sales, especially for big institutions. So now I see the expected return on the IE investment. I expect that Google will make a Chrome browser that is tuned to work better with the Chrome OS in the future.