Google’s browser gamble
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| Google’s new Chrome browser has distinctive features including tabs along the top, and enhanced search and performance features. Image: Google |
It will go down either as the day Google proved its software chops, or as the day it finally bit off more than it could chew.
On Tuesday the search giant unveiled its Chrome Web browser, a bold move from a company better known for releasing useful if unfinished online services like Gmail and Google Docs than for producing mainstream downloadable software. (Google still labels both Gmail and Docs as “beta” projects, though they’ve been around for years.)
Expect Chrome to be held to a higher standard than Google’s previous efforts; after all, browsers are front-and-center for today’s Internet users, and we already know how they are supposed to work. Microsoft’s (MSFT) Internet Explorer, which has roughly 72 percent market share, is on its eighth version; Mozilla’s Firefox and Apple’s (AAPL) Safari are on their third.
Here’s the quick rundown on Chrome: Like every other major browser, it’s free. It’s marketed as fast and simple, much like Google’s (GOOG) search engine. The company also claims it is less crash-prone, more secure, and more search-friendly than competitors’. (It’s also less compatible; unlike Firefox and Safari, Chrome is Windows-only for now, though Google promises Mac and Linux versions soon.)
Early reviews are mixed; on TechCrunch, Don Reisinger calls Chrome “one of the fastest” browsers he has used, but Walt Mossberg at AllThingsD says it launched Web pages more slowly than Firefox and Safari in his tests.
For Google, Chrome’s release offers both risks and rewards. Among the risks: that the company has too many balls in the air. Two years ago, with Google stock trading in the mid-$400 range, executives began trumpeting the slogan “features not products,” saying employees had taken on more projects than they could manage well.
But over the past few months we’ve seen Google launch Google Health for online medical records, now its Chrome browser for PCs, and soon its Android operating system for mobile phones – some of its biggest products ever – and the stock is back in the mid-$400s. With Google juggling all that, there’s a real risk that something will slip.
But Google is betting that Chrome’s potential rewards are worth it. With its own on-ramp to the Internet, Google can now make a far more compelling case for its vision of the future, where ad-supported Web-based services replace old-school software like Microsoft Office.
Now, rather than wait for Microsoft, Mozilla and Apple to speed up their browsers, Google can turbo-charge its services through Chrome and dare them to catch up. (Plus, as Google expands onto phones and other devices – a key element in the company’s growth strategy – homegrown browser technology will allow the company to keep its user experience consistent.)
There’s also a defensive element to Chrome. After all, you need a browser to access most Google services, and the biggest browser maker in the world is also Google’s mortal enemy with no incentive to tailor Internet Explorer to suit Google’s needs. Apple is focused on Macs, iPods and iPhones more than on online services. Mozilla, whose Firefox browser has taken share from IE, has been a strong partner – but given the stakes, it makes sense for Google to have more control over which features get added to a browser, and how quickly.
Of course, none of this matters much unless Web surfers flock to Chrome – and success may be elusive. Unlike IE and Safari, which are bundled with the Windows and Mac operating systems, Chrome doesn’t come with a ready-made distribution system. And unlike Firefox, which has gained critical mass after years of trying, Chrome is just getting started.
Even if Chrome gains market share, it could end up being a mixed blessing if it comes at the expense of Safari and Firefox. After all, though Apple and Mozilla have slightly different priorities than Google, all three share the goal of keeping Microsoft from getting too much power in the browser wars.
So is Chrome a good idea? A year from now if Google is #3 or better in the browser rankings and Microsoft has lost share, perhaps. But if any of Google’s other major projects have slipped along the way, investors may look at Chrome as just the latest shiny object to distract the search giant.
that’s right google stab someone else in the back. first yahoo and firefox. They already have their own os so apple is next. they keep convincing everyone they are in it with them against microsoft and they stick it to them. when will everyone realize they don’t want to stop microsoft they want to be microsoft. Now the browser is ok kind of fast but feature light. IE7 is still the best browser with opera a close second.
A bit of sound advice:
Please don’t try the beta en masse since I got loads of viruses, worms and trojans all courtesy of CHROME.
Chrome is a decent attempt and I understand its still beta. I do hate that Ctrl+ to increase size, does only a frame zoom. IE and Firefox the readable frame increases in size and the border gets smaller like for instance the CNN site. But in Chrome the basic frame+ border maintains dimensions, the font is the only thing that increases which results in longer pages. Also there is no spell check, something that is really needed while blogging or emailing.
If it’s anything like Gmail with all those search items/ads on the page, no thanks. It will be interesting how Chrome develops, however. I’ll may revisit when Chrome 2.0 hits.
One thing no one talks about is that there’s a site, customizegoogle.com, that can rid searches of Google ads. Of course, it doesn’t work in G-Chrome.
Just think if people used the ad-free feature - Google’s revenue could go from billions to zero overnight.
So, Google had to take control of the browser experience. Zero revenue would not be a pretty picture for a company valued at $160 billion.
I like its simple look, something firefox is not and its fast. Default browser when it hits OS X.
so far i have been using chrome for two days. i love it so far it does not bog down you PC like other search browsers
((IT EVEN HAS BUILT IN SPELL CHECK THAT IS GREAT))
You can view the your bookmarks on all tabs by clicking on the settings wrench and choosing “always show bookmarks bar”.
Chrome sounds shiney, reminds me of rims… Have you ever seen a Chevy with the butterfly doors?
Microsoft’s new Search engine powered by (H) will take back 35% if not more of the market Goggle just does not have the power.
The real story here should be Google’s EULA. Read it and get informed. Google is not your friend
my IE really sucks - it does not start and takes lot of memory even if it gets started - which is the reason for me to jump to Firefox - I am really satisfied with it - specifically with Adblock+, FlashBlock. I have not yet downloaded chrome- but looks like it does not have these capabilities so far.
Can’t believe they have’t incorporated their own Google Toolbar features such as Autofill..? (At least I can’t find it?) Showstopper for me..
I’m using it now and it’s a really nice browser. It’s seemingly very simple in its UI, yet seems to be just as technically capable as IE7 - in fact, much better if you know the technical advances it employs. Love it, love it, love it. Looks like that IE7 icon on my desktop will be going in the recycle bin.
Uninstalled it after using it for an hour. Is it fast? Yes, definitely.
What’s missing? Only the bookmarks.
You have to open a new tab (The Home Page) to get them. You can’t browse your bookmarks from an existing window (tab) but have to open a new one, the browsers home page.
See the illustration at the top of this article? It’s the only page they’re available on.
Back to Firefox. Love it.
‘Just start typing’? give me a break!
Give me my bookmarks on the toolbar as a default, how about that.
IT IS JUST PERFECT!!!! I just downloaded it, installed and started usung. It is superior…
Google should paid us to use their browser since they’re collect our info for their adveristing business since both IE and Firefox new feature will allow user to block it.
I love Firefox and have used it since it’s first version but I’ve been testing out Chrome tonight and I’m impressed. My first impression is that Firefox is like a Cadillac- with plenty of fancy options but lacking great acceleration. Chrome is a sports car that corners well.
Tech savvy people will all try it, but it will have to be better than BOTH Firefox and Safari in some tangible way. That’s a high bar.
No AutoFill capability? Are you kidding me?
chrome is the ferrari of browsers, with a powerful 4-wheel drive to get out of bad sites alive.
“We are so, so happy with Google Chrome,” mumbled Mozilla CEO John Lilly through gritted teeth. “That most of our income is from Google has no bearing on me making this statement.” - http://notnews.today.com/?p=57
Unless google will allow people to build extension that will be able to block google’s own ads like firefox does I will not use Chrome.
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A senior writer for Fortune, Jon Fortt focuses on technology and innovation in Silicon Valley - a subject he's been reporting on since his days as a rookie reporter for the Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader. Before joining Fortune in 2007, Jon had reporting and editing stints at Business 2.0 magazine, and the San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News, Silicon Valley's hometown newspaper.
Can’t take chrome seriously till they release a MAC / Linux / Solaris version.