Microsoft recently announced a brand-new Copilot Mode for its browser, but the company's efforts are not ending there. It appears that Microsoft is working on a major Edge redesign, with a new UI making a big step away from what we currently have to focus on Copilot and offer a simpler experience.
The so-called "Olympia" was uncovered towards the end of last year, and it can be enabled in recent Edge Canary builds. While the experience is not complete and some things are not working, we can have a rough look at what Microsoft is preparing. A reworked address bar now sits at the top center and works as your standard omnibox and a Copilot composer. This allows you to enter a website address or ask AI about something, including with Voice Mode.
Like the current version of Microsoft Edge, Olympia lets you have vertical or horizontal tabs. When in vertical mode, all your tabs are hidden in a dropdown menu, and when in horizontal mode, tabs appear below the new omnibox, similarly to Safari's user interface on iPadOS and macOS.
Microsoft has not made any announcements about the new user interface for its browser. Therefore, details about it remain scarce, and a lot is open for speculation. Olympia could be a dedicated user interface for Copilot Mode, as Microsoft leans more into AI, or it could be a complete revamp in an attempt to stand out from its main competitor, Chrome, which dominates the browser market with an overwhelming market share.
At the same time, the thing could never materialize. After all, Microsoft is known for testing stuff that never shipped, such as Windows Sets, a simplified tray area for Windows 11, and rounded tabs for Microsoft Edge. Right now, all we have to do is wait for Microsoft to acknowledge the new user interface and provide more details.
Source: Windows Central via Leopeva64 (X)
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