In March 2009, Microsoft will release-to-manufacturing (RTM) Microsoft Internet Explorer® version 8.0 (IE8) to OEMs as an optional supplement to all Windows® XP and Windows Vista® operating system products licensed in the OEM Channel.

In March 2009, Microsoft will RTM IE8 to OEMs as an optional supplement to all Windows XP and Windows Vista operating system products licensed in the OEM Channel.

The release of IE8 is a significant milestone in the Windows Vista lifecycle:

* IE8 contains extensive improvements in the areas of performance and reliability.
* IE8 provides OEMs monetization opportunities not available in any other browser.
* Visual Search Suggestions provide the opportunity to configure a search provider and additional services into the search box in IE8 to search for shopping, news/portal sites, social networks sports, and more.
* Web Slices and Accelerators are additional web services within the IE8 monetization ecosystem which content providers have built specifically for IE8. These services provide OEMs opportunities to deliver brand exposure and content updates to users in innovative new ways.
* IE8 further provides OEMs with enhanced user experience, greater user privacy, and security enhancements to lower support costs and minimize the engineering risk of configuring an unknown application on the consumer image.

IE8 will be the standard internet browser present with all Windows® 7 Desktop Operating System Products.