Google Chrome is currently world’s third popular browser, after the Internet Explorer and Mozilla FireFox. Although it is only two-and-something “years old”, the Chrome has quickly gained popularity due to extensive advertizing campaign – Google can afford that, of course. However, in order for advertizing campaign to succeed, the featured product should be, at the very least, adequate. Moreover, newly introduced items (in almost any industry) should offer certain innovation or at least a slightly different approach.
When Google launched the Chrome their basic idea was “simplicity and minimization”. No menu, no additional toolbars, small symbols, partially hidden option bar… Everything was designed to maximize the internal area – the one that has the website loaded. And this idea had actually worked – many people find the Chrome design to exactly suit their needs.
It seems that Google is taking these ideas one step further. Reportedly, when discussing several possible layouts for the next version of Chrome, Google designers even consider the option of removing the URL bar – well, not exactly removing, but hiding it when it is inactive. It would pop-up whenever the user needs it, allowing new URL entry.
As already said, this is only one of the four possible layouts, but the trend is clear. Bigger viewport, less menus – the idea is extremely appealing for those who like to surf the web from their iPad or SmartPhone.
Have you ever heard about KidRocket, Konqueror or Amaya? I bet you didn’t. What about Safari and Opera? Sounds more familiar, right? And Google Chrome? Is there anybody who did NOT hear about Google’s web browser? Probably not.
Launched slightly over two(!) years ago – compare that to 14-yeard old Internet Explorer and 7-year old Mozilla Firefox – Google Chrome is gaining ground rapidly, at the rate of about 5% a year. Reportedly it is now the choice of over 15% of internet users. And the good news for the browser is that it is not only attracts IE users (the world most popular web browser is constantly losing popularity as new search engines are emerging all the time, and users do tend to “try something new”), but FF followers as well. During 2010, the Mozilla browser lost about 4% of US market share – mostly to Google Chrome.
While only a fraction of internet users actually utilize more than 20% of browser capabilities and features, the competition is mostly about two things – GUI and advertising. Google Chrome is pretty successful in both. The tabbed layout was adopted successfully (later than FF, earlier than IE) and the marketing efforts are enormous. Advertising is done both on and of the internet, with buses carrying the “part of your life – part of your browser” theme in addition to endless promotional banners al over the web.
Whether it is superior to others or not, Google Chrome is definitely making a huge progress. Will Chrome take over and dominate, as did Google? I doubt it. Will it compete and maybe become the most popular web browser in the future? Quite possible.