%Microsoft () has announced that it is retiring Internet Explorer.
The Seattle-based technology giant says the latest iteration, Internet Explorer 11, will be the final version of the once dominant online search engine.
Internet Explorer debuted on Windows desktop computers in 1995, and, by 2004, controlled 95% of the market for online searches.
However, Internet Explorer has now been overtaken by Google Chrome, Apple Safari, and Mozilla Firefox.
Users wanting to remain with Microsoft are being directed to Microsoft Edge, launched in 2015, that is currently bundled with Windows 10.
Internet Explorer's popularity was hurt by the launch of faster online browsers such as Chrome and Firefox.
The rise of smartphones is widely viewed by industry observers as the nail in the coffin of Internet Explorer. Apple iPhones come pre-installed with a Safari internet browser, while Google Chrome comes embedded on all Android phones.
Mobile and tablet internet usage overtook desktop searches worldwide for the first time in 2016, according to web analytics company StatCounter. Google Chrome now accounts for more than 60% of all internet searches worldwide, with Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge, combined, sitting behind Firefox.
Microsoft said that access to its Internet Explorer will be maintained on older versions of Windows, including Windows 8.1, Windows 7, and limited versions of Windows 10.
Industry experts say Internet Explorer is likely to be remembered fondly as one of the key tools that shaped the internet’s development over the past 25 years.
Microsoft stock is down 26% year to date at $247.65 U.S. per share.