Microsoft IE11 Release Preview for Windows 7 Now Available

Those running Windows 7 can now download Microsoft's latest browser, Internet Explorer 11 release preview, the computing giant announced Wednesday.

The release comes after Microsoft first unleashed the developer preview version of IE11 for Windows 7 back in July. At that time, Microsoft encouraged developers to download the browser and test their sites, but today's release makes it more widely available.

"Today, we invite a broader audience of tech enthusiasts and consumers to download and experience IE11 for Windows 7," Roger Capriotti, director of IE marketing, wrote in a blog post. "This release also signals the final preview release before general availability of IE11 for Windows 7 later this fall."

The updated browser boasts compatibility enhancements and platform improvements that were made in response to feedback on the developer preview version. It is compatible with existing websites and can deliver new interactive experiences thanks to support for Web standards and technologies such as WebGL, which lets developers build 3D graphics in the browser.

Best of the all — the browser should be fast — around 30 percent faster than competing browsers, Microsoft said.

"As we improve performance for real-world sites, IE11's JavaScript performance on benchmarks like WebKit SunSpider continues to lead compared with latest version of other browsers," the company said in a blog post. "On Windows 7, IE11 Release Preview is 9 percent faster than IE10, which is a 5 percent improvement from the IE11 Developer Preview, and over 30 percent faster than the nearest competitive browser."

Meanwhile, Microsoft is also continuing its efforts to get people to re-think their views on Internet Explorer. The company on Wednesday released a new video on the IE YouTube channel showing people interviewed at random, offering up their thoughts on IE. Check it out below.

The video follows Microsoft's November spot for IE10, which poked fun at the scorn IE has earned over the years. Another IE10 ad, "Child of the 90s,," chased after the now-grown Generation Y.