Cracking the IE WebRTC Challenge: Does Google Even Care?

IE isn't going to get WebRTC any time soon.

In the WebRTC event in Atlanta, the issue of IE support was raised multiple times, but at the end of the day, WebRTC is a minor issue in the grander scheme of things. Both Mozilla and Google gave some interesting keynotes during the conference, touching briefly on WebRTC and moving on to the other great technologies they have rolling out: things like even faster Java Script and page rendering, WebGL support, Web components, etc. To top it off, there have been 3 different announcements recently:

1. Firefox getting official support for WebRTC
2. Google stopping their investment in Chrome Frame
3. Microsoft adopting WebGL but not WebRTC for IE 11

There were 4 companies that could have made WebRTC on IE a reality:

1. Microsoft, by just adding it
2. Google, with their Chrome Frame – even if only in a limited way

And as Dean Bubley notes, there are two more:

1. Adobe, by implementing WebRTC in their Flash plugin
2. Oracle, by implementing WebRTC as part of their Java plugin

Microsoft already announced no interest in this round. Google just left the table. Adobe and Oracle… I don't see any of them picking up the initiative on this one, though one of them should. My recommendation? If your target customers rely on having IE running, and in an environment that doesn't allow for any installation of additional plugins (which may well be the case in large contact centers) – then just wait. Don't go for WebRTC at this point. If your target customers are mostly non IE or can install plugins – embrace the technology. No help will be forthcoming until WebRTC will be used on a daily basis by many of that billion devices we're being told about. And if you ask me – it won't come from video calling but rather from other domains.