On the other hand, many of the people using older versions of browsers would probably be the same ones who don't like the changes Google's made to its pages.

As someone who regularly uses various browsers (including text-based), I have a very strong opinion on this: I've noticed the "you must use browser X, Y, or Z" trend become more prevalent over the years, and I think it's against the basic premise of the Internet to be an accessible source of information to all. Users should be free to use whatever browser they want, on whatever hardware they want, with the understanding that some sites may use features their browsers don't support. Most sites on the Internet are still primarily sources of information, and it's rather disconcerting to see "appification" turning easily accessible pages containing text and images into complex behemoths that only work in the latest browsers from the big vendors. I know there is a certain allure to using the "latest technologies" for many developers, but if it needlessly excludes some others, there's a marginalising, discriminatory element to it that I just can't agree with.

She added: "We're continually making improvements to Search, so we can only provide limited support for some outdated browsers."

It would help if she pointed out the particular "improvements" and what features they need.