I think part of the problem is that IE is the browser of choice for the Dept. of Defense. If you've ever worked for the DoD, you know that updates, etc. take forever because of security concerns. I wonder if that relationship informs IE's decision to hold back on their browser capabilities.
I'm very familiar with the DoD's byzantine and prehistoric policies. You're absolutely right. And it's ironic, because changing their patch management strategy would provide better security. The DoD is stuck in a compliance world, rather that one in which they manage risk.
Yea but IE9/IE10 are number one at stopping malicious downloads which happens to be the easiest/most prevalent way to take over a computer. Plus IE 8+ is the only browser that has TLS 1.2.