Competition for Chrome and Edge: Arc for Windows is here

Arc, the "hottest new browser on the market" according to the US technology news portal TheVerge, has also been available for Windows since Tuesday. The browser, which has triggered a little hype in recent months, particularly in the USA, was previously reserved for users of Apple devices. The manufacturer was able to inspire them with clever adaptations to the user interface, "which many browser users have wanted for a long time". This was the conclusion reached by heise editor Daniel Berger during a test last year.

Focused user guidance

These include a fold-out sidebar, which clearly sets the user interface apart from the familiar look of Chrome, Edge or Firefox. The sidebar allows users to switch between tabs and bookmarks as if they were apps, providing a better overview. Like the macOS version, Arc for Windows has a navigation bar and other useful tools to help with surfing the web. These include the split view, profiles and the picture-in-picture view. Once you get used to it, Arc's user guidance apparently ensures that you can focus better on the content of the website you are currently visiting. Like Chrome, Brave or Edge, Arc is based on Chromium - so those who want to switch can simply take their usual browser extensions with them.

Arc was developed in Apple's Swift programming language, which provides more memory security than the C++ programming language used in Chrome and Edge. The makers have largely opensourced the infrastructure required for this. However, Arc for Windows should not feel like a macOS application. Instead, the browser follows the design language of Windows 11. Arc currently only runs on Windows 11, but there are apparently plans to release a Windows 10-compatible version soon.

Arc is backed by a company called The Browser Company. The creators are apparently betting that Arc's clean user interface will be enough to lure Windows users away from Chrome and Edge. In an interview with The Verge, one of the co-developers said that, in his opinion, Arc's competing products on the browser market are currently stagnating. With Arc, the company is pursuing the vision of creating a platform for the web that goes beyond just a browser. The release of the browser for Windows is a milestone with which the manufacturer hopes to gain a larger user base for its product.

(kst)