Microsoft isn't set to officially show off the design of Internet Explorer 9 until next month at the beta launch event on September 15, but the first image of it may have been leaked by the company's Russian arm.
ZDNet captured this picture from Microsoft Russia’s press site:
If it is indeed real, it seems that Microsoft is going for a stark, minimalist design that draws from its competitors at Mozilla, Google and even Apple.
Like Chrome, this design of Internet Explorer 9 tries to maximize the view of content rather that devote precious screen real estate to favorite bars and buttons.
Also like other browsers will be the ability to tear off tabs and then put them in a separate window, while also utilizing Windows 7's Aero Snap feature to organize and arrange.
Microsoft wouldn't comment on the leaked picture, which has since been taken down from the Russian site, but we'll likely see much more in a few weeks.