But there were several improvements under the hood that were supposed to help it load faster.
It seems that Redmond’s efforts are now paying off. A study conducted by an independent firm shows that MSN for Windows 8 not only loads faster than previous version of the portal, but also leaves other Internet news portals in the dust when it comes to performance.
The research was performed by Principal Technologies Inc., which shows that MSN for Windows 8 is around four times faster than eight top major online competitors — including sites like CNN, New York Times, WSJ and Forbes.
Comparing specific sections of the portal, the study found that the Sports page on MSN loaded an impressive 7 times faster than websites like ESPN and NFL, while the News category boasted a load time that at least 3 times quicker than both CNN and New York Times.
Obviously, several factors are at play when it comes to website load times, particularly content heavy destinations like the ones name above.