Microsoft announced today at the Visual Studio 2010 launch event in Las Vegas that Silverlight 4 will be released on Thursday, April 15. The new version of Silverlight will be available for grabs at the official Silverlight download page on Microsoft’s website.
Silverlight 4 will include new major features such as support for the Google Chrome browser. Additionally, the new version will bring webcam and microphone support, printing and control capabilities, multicast streaming, output protection, the ability to run applications outside a browser, and offline DRM. The new Silverlight 4 also promises an enhanced user experience and improved speed and performance. The update will also include a plugin for Visual Studio.
Overall, Silverlight 4 appears to be very promising. Currently, Silverlight is installed in 45% of all computers and mobile devices around the world. We can expect that number to rise in the months to come, given that the technology will support another browser, which will definitely help increase its market share. Also, Silverlight is being used to develop applications for the upcoming Windows Phone 7 platform.
Microsoft did not reveal at which specific time the new version of Silverlight will be available.