Google Chrome May Be Pre-installed On New PCs
How did Internet Explorer become the number one browser in the world? Simple - it came with every new computer you purchased, pre-installed and ready to go. Now it seems Google is contemplating doing the same with their browser, Google Chrome. According to Google VP, Product Management, Sundar Pichai, the browser's beta period will end in January and then they "will probably do distribution deals," he says.
In an article that ran in yesterday's The Times, Pichai revealed details on what he called Google's plans to make Chrome the browser of choice for the everyday user. A big part of that plan includes distribution deals with computer manufacturers.
"We could work with an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) and have them ship computers with Chrome pre-installed," he was quoted as saying. Thanks to the anti-trust rulings that came out of the IE / Netscape battle back in the 1990's, there's nothing to prevent Google from doing deals of their own with computer makers, if they desire.
Once Google has a glitch-free version of Chrome sometime early next year, "we will throw our weight behind it," said Pinchai. "We've been conservative because its still in beta, but once we get it out of beta we will work hard at getting the word out, promoting to users, and marketing will be a part of that." (A link on Google's homepage might help with those marketing efforts, but not as much as we previously thought).
Pichai also noted that versions of Chrome for Linux and Mac computers will become available in the first half of next year which would allow the browser to work on almost 99% of computers worldwide.
Is It Ready?
Just because Google whips off the "beta" label (perhaps making Chrome one of the first products to leave beta with such speed) that doesn't necessarily mean the browser is ready for prime time.
Shortly after its launch, a serious security flaw was discovered in the browser. The exploit took advantage of an underlying vulnerability in WebKit that had already been known about for more than two months. Apple had patched their Safari browser against this flaw back in July, but Google Chrome launched in September with the flaw still in place. Google's overlooking of this risk is concerning.
Also, for some Windows users, it wasn't until the most recent update the scroll-up functionality on their laptop's trackpad even worked (this author was affected and was pinged by several Twitter friends that were, too). And even now Chrome is misbehaving on a pre-beta build of Windows 7. Googling from the address bar no longer works since the upgrade on my test machine.
Before the product goes gold, we at ReadWriteWeb would like to see the browser add support for RSS feeds, a surprising omission in the feature set. As fans of Google Reader, we had hoped to see deeper integration with other Google products in Chrome, but that doesn't appear to be the case. Subscribing via the browser doesn't even work, let alone allow us to subscribe via Google's own RSS Reader.
Still, these problems may only be a patch or two away from being repaired. Hopefully, Google wouldn't release their browser before it's ready, especially if they plan on promoting it so heavily among mainstream computer users, many of whom have already switched over to Firefox and seem to be happy with their selection. For these individuals, Firefox addons are now also a major part of the browsing experience - will people willingly give those up and move to Chrome? We suppose we'll just have to wait and see.
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Review text for mechanics -- possessive "its," not contractive "it's."
I think Chrome could use a little work first. It's fast and I really like it. But it lacks some simple features, even as stupid as "Set as desktop background" when you right click an image.
-Andrew
I really hope that Google incorporates geolocation functionality into Chrome as well. Or if it supports add-ons, something similar to Geode would work fine.
I think Chrome is going to be used more and more for specific web-based apps. I was using it along side with FF on my PC for Gmail and Google Docs.
I have missed it on my Mac for it's speed and focus, so I can't wait for it to be available for OSX.
without addon, no way it can hit mainstream
@B. Martin: Thank you! Corrected. Here on the web, I don't have a copy editor, so these little typos get through sometimes. I appreciate when commenters let me know. :)
This also means MSN will be losing a significant percentage of their traffic.
"And even now Chrome is misbehaving on a pre-beta build of Windows 7."
Why is surprising that BETA software is "misbehaving" in a PRE-BETA operating system?
That beta software have quirks it's already implied, let alone when used in a PRE-beta operating system for which it wasn't even designed.
if i was his boss, i would fire him for making public statement about the company's strategy + giving the timeframe.
Chrome's security bug occured because they had forked the WebKit source tree to work on their port and weren't keeping up with patches in the main tree. Google is actively working to get Chrome integrated back into the mainline WebKit source tree, which will need to be complete before they leave Beta. Once that happens then security gaffes like that will be a non-issue.
"How did Internet Explorer become the number one browser in the world? Simple - it came with every new computer you purchased, pre-installed and ready to go."
Funny. I thought it was because in the Netscape 4.x era, Netscape really sucked, and the IE team made a better product. Earlier versions of Netscape kicked IE's butt, even though IE was preinstalled and you had to download Netscape by hand.
I bet if/when Chrome has a compelling case, it'll start to take off, like Firefox has. Right now, I don't see it. It has separate processes, but the latest IE has that. It has Webkit, but Safari has that. It has faster Javascript, but benchmarks show it's about the same as Firefox 3.1 on all except pathological cases. Sure, they bring together a bunch of new features from other browsers, then remove a bunch of others, and slap a big "BETA" label on it -- it's no surprise it's not being used yet.
It'll get big when it can compete with Firefox on features. We've seen this before: Mac OS X 10.0 was all-new, and super-simple. But they had to add all the features that people actually need, before people really started switching.
Chrome not working on Windows 7 is hardly surprising. Does noone remember the term "windows aint done till lotus wont run"? Microsoft has a history of making subtle changes to their operating system to hurt competitors who write applications for their platform.
I'm running Windows 7 Build 6801 and Chrome runs great. I can even Google from the address bar. Sure I missed all my Firefox add-ons when I first made the switch, but today I'm glad I don't have them. My web browsing has become much more content focused and that's something I can live with.
last time i tried using Chrome there was some serious security glitches that actually affected my computer; have they fixed this yet?
@joe though Internet Explorer is the number one Browser,I agree it is preloaded with every windows and people have no safe and secure version like firefox not available then ,thank god it is available for now.In the olden days they have to use the Internet explorer because they don't have other option to choose from.
NEVER, (FR) Google fait peur,ils ne doivent pas tout controler. Et là, c'est de l'hégémonie. Place à Firefox....ou autre.
I think it is a very good idea, because I'm sicking of IE on every preinstalled pc. But I agree, we have to wait for the End version of the Google Chrome first.
But they had to add all the features that people actually need, before people really started switching
Why would manufacture allow the pre-loading of BETA software? It’s unfair to ask users to be unwilling beta testers. Plus it’s all so convenient for Google to always be in Beta, that way they are not responsible. Did we delete your email or all your favorites? Well its beta, not our fault, read the EULA.
Will Google ever bring anything out of beta and into actual production?
#1 Chrome isn't ready, yet.
#2 How will Google convince MS to embedding it or will Google adress the producers directly?
#3 Will MS prohibit Chrome to work on their OS, then?
#4 Will this be the beginning of a war for the internet?