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Internet Explorer losing users as other browsers set share records
In the last quarter, Chrome, Safari and Opera all set new personal bests for browser market share with 4.63, 4.46 and 2.4 percent respectively. This period marks the first time Chrome has beaten Safari to third spot, while their collective prosperity comes at the expense of IE, which continues to hemorrhage users at a rate of 0.92 percentage points a month. Microsoft's 62.7 percent slice might still look mighty, but projections from Net Applications suggest it could shrink to below 50 percent by May of this year. Unless something magical happens. You'll probably also want to know that Net Applications monitors incoming traffic to over 40,000 websites and generates a sample size of about 160 million unique visitors each month -- making the veracity of its claims pretty robust. One hidden sign of our collective laziness: 21 percent of all users last quarter were still fulfilling their browsing needs with IE 6. For shame.
Apple up, down in end-of-year report
Now that 2009 is officially behind us, web metrics firm Net Applications has released their final report of the year, which finds Apple up in some areas and down in others. Specifically, the iPhone OS has grown significantly, while Chrome has surpassed Safari. The iPhone jumped to 0.43 percent of the total OS market in December, a 20% increase over November and the largest monthly gain since its introduction. While holiday sales estimates are still unavailable, its expected that the quarter's numbers will eclipse the previous quarter's record-breaking 7.4 million units sold. At the same time, usage of Google's Chrome web browser has exceeded that of Apple's Safari for the first time. As for alternatives to the nearly-ubiquitous Internet Explorer, Firefox is first, Chrome second and Safari third, according to Net Applications. Specifically, Chrome is now at 4.63 percent of browser share and Safari is at 4.46 percent. The novelty of Chrome probably plays into these numbers, but it's also a nice product. I've been using it on Windows and Mac OS X (in beta, of course) and found it snappy and responsive. Overall this is a positive report for Apple. Here's to 2010.
Google's Chrome OS-based netbook specs leak out
We've already seen that early builds of Google's Chromium OS can be hacked onto existing machines, but those Chrome OS netbooks that the software giant has planned for next year have remained curiously elusive until now. According to both IBTimes and Netbook News, the company is in talks with a number of outfits in order to bring at least a few sub-$300 options to the market that are well suited to power through its first non-mobile operating system. For starters, we're told that the 10.1-inch machine will be ARM-based, while NVIDIA's Tegra platform (likely the second generation) steers the graphical ship. There's also promise of a multitouch panel (1,280 x 720 resolution), 64GB SSD, WiFi, 2GB of RAM, integrated 3G connectivity, Bluetooth, an Ethernet jack, an undisclosed amount of USB sockets, webcam, 3.5mm audio jack, a multi-card reader, a 4- or 6-cell battery and optional GPS. Wilder still, a $200 configuration could very well pop up, and it looks as if (at least initially) Google will sell the device(s) directly through its own website -- much like Fusion Garage has done with the Joojoo tablet. 'Course, it'll still take some arm twisting to get the low-end crowd to try anything not labeled "Windows," but if anyone can do it, it's the company that inexplicably kept Gmail in "beta" for over five years.
Chrome makes Safari take a back seat
ComputerWorld is reporting that Chrome has surpassed Safari as the third-most popular browser. According to Net Applications, which tracks the browser habits of 160 million unique visitors each month to the 40,000 sites it monitors for customers, Chrome's share jumped to 4.4% for the week of Dec. 6-12, an increase of 0.4 percentage points over Google's slice of the browser pie for the month of November. Chrome's share during the week topped Safari's 4.37%, said Vince Vizzaccaro, executive vice president of Net Applications. "It appears that Chrome has made a substantial surge in usage market share," Vizzaccaro said in an e-mail. Not surprising considering how much Google is pushing it. In the last two days I've seen dozens of Chrome ads on Facebook and (more surprisingly) the Amazon.co.uk home page. Chrome is based on WebKit – an open source web browser engine. WebKit is also the name of the Mac OS X system framework version of the WebKit browser engine that's used by Safari, Dashboard, Mail, and many other OS X applications. I've only played around with Chrome for a few days, but I'm happy to stick with Safari for now (I love my MobileMe sync). Here's how the top four browsers play out in market share: Internet Explorer 63.6% Firefox 24.7% Chrome 4.4% Safari 4.37% What about you guys? Firefox, Chrome, IE (if you're on a PC) or Safari? Tell us what you use in the poll! %Poll-38601%
Google Chrome hits beta for Mac and Linux, extensions available for extra-smug Windows and Linux users
At long last Mac and Linux users don't have to feel like second class citizens in Chrome land: they've got official beta versions of Google's browser to call their own. Of course, people have been running the open source Chromium version on both sides of the fence for ages, but beta brings with it a new level of stability and officialness. Google is also finally launching extensions for Chrome, which is available for the Windows and Linux versions of the browser, and with Mac compatibility on the way. There are already 300 extensions available, not a bad start, and hopefully a good indication of the sorts of added functionality we'll be able to stuff into Chrome OS with the help of a seemingly-excited developer community. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Beta Beat: Google Chrome beta for Mac available
Earlier today Google released a beta of their Chrome browser for the Mac, nearly 14 months after the Windows version. Chrome is built on the WebKit engine, just like Safari. I've only used it briefly (I'm writing this post with it now), yet a couple of things are immediately apparent. First is the lack of a search box. Instead, Google has built the "Omnibox," which combines the search and address field. Begin typing and a list of results appears beneath the text field, including recent browsing history, search options and more. For a complete view, browse all of the results in a new tab. That's neat, but it'll take some getting used to. When first launched, it offered to import my Safari bookmarks; a task it completed so quickly I thought there was an error. Tabs slide in and out of view and are smart enough (supposedly, I haven't tested this) to isolate crashes and keep them from bringing the whole browser down. Give it a try, but remember that it's a beta. Leave your mission-critical tasks to the tried and true.
Chromium OS gets unofficial 64-bit port
64-bit support for an OS designed primarily for low-powered netbooks may not be at the top of everyone's list, but it looks like those hoping to crank Chrome OS up a notch are now finally in luck. While it's of course still completely unofficial, and pre-alpha, the OS is now available in a 64-bit port called ChromiumOS64, which even includes niceties like Xen virtualization support and a relatively modest 1GB download size. Hit up the link below to get started.
Microsoft reportedly randomizing browser ballots to appease EU, asks 'are you happy now?'
Some might say that Microsoft just can't catch a break. Others might argue that it's getting exactly what it deserves. Whatever your take on the situation, it seems as if Microsoft may finally have the EU off of its monstrous back (at least momentarily), as a report has surfaced noting that said software giant is nearing approval for a new browser ballot screen demanded by the European Commission. As you well know by now, rivals Mozilla, Opera and Google all submitted change requests to EU regulators in hopes of having browser selection boxes randomized and not displayed within Internet Explorer. Purportedly, the all-clear will come down on December 15th (or earlier), and the antitrust case will be settled as Windows customers have a clearer choice when it comes to selecting a go-to browser from day one. 'Course, said ballot screen wouldn't be pushed out to existing users until early next year, but when it goes live users will be able to decide between Chrome, Firefox, IE, Opera and Safari for their browsing needs. Huzzah!
Google halts development of Gears, makes room for HTML 5
Well, we've known for a while that Google was throwing considerable weight behind HTML 5, and that one of the purposes of the markup language is to do away with plug-ins for Internet apps, so it makes sense that eventually Gears would go the way of the Dodo. But so soon? Linus Upson, the man in charge of both the Chrome browser and Chrome OS engineering teams, has announced that the company is done developing the software. "We are not driving forward in any meaningful way [on Gears]," the man said in an interview with PC Magazine. "We are continuing to maintain it, so that applications will continue to work; we don't want to break anything out there." If you listen to this guy, it sounds like this was the plan, all along: "When we started the Gears project, three years ago... we did it because we couldn't get the browser vendors interested in building offline applications." He then details the mind trick: Google ships Gears, and suddenly browser vendors are "very interested in adding capabilities to build offline applications," paving the way for the capabilities in the next version of HTML. Clever, Google. In the same interview, Upson stated the company's plans to move all its apps to standards-based HTML 5 APIs. Now that it's convinced the world that it wants -- nay, needs -- rich Internet applications, we hope that the company will promise to use its powers of persuasion for good, and not for evil.
Chrome OS 'Diet' version fits on a 1GB USB key, brings more WiFi support
Not everyone has a 4GB USB key or SD card just lying around, which was required to run Hexxeh's first build of Chromium OS, and we'd say that 8GB keys are exponentially more rare, which is what Dell requires with its build of the Chrome OS open source variant. Well, you can cancel that Fry's run, because Hexxeh is back with a Chrome OS Diet flavor, which cuts the fat and gets the OS onto a 1GB drive. It supposedly doesn't cut anything features-wise, and actually improves WiFi support since it's based on a newer build -- check out that compatibility list source link for the full story on that.
Entelligence: Chrome OS, babies, and bathwater
Entelligence is a column by technology strategist and author Michael Gartenberg, a man whose desire for a delicious cup of coffee and a quality New York bagel is dwarfed only by his passion for tech. In these articles, he'll explore where our industry is and where it's going -- on both micro and macro levels -- with the unique wit and insight only he can provide. In an age where products that have never been announced get coverage and even critiqued over rumored shipping delays, it's no surprise that Google received a lot of coverage this week with an update on its Chrome OS strategy. While not quite rumorware, it's a lot like the cloud it depends on: more vapor than substance. I don't think Chrome would be a bad idea if it were something that was targeted to complement existing PC architectures. Why isn't it? If it's web-based, Chrome OS could and should co-exist with Mac OS, Linux and Windows. It's the idea that Google is promoting Chrome as a PC OS replacement for mobile devices and riding the netbook hype all at the same time that gets me, as does the fact that I need to get a new device to run Chrome OS. That's ridiculous, as are reference design requirements like SSDs instead of hard drives. Worse, trying to merge the PC and phone into some weird new intersection of devices is not what the market wants or has ever looked for. This type of specialized hardware sounds like it's going right into the 'tweener category and we know what happens to those devices. You just have to look how successful netbooks running Linux and Firefox have been to get a sense as to how well this concept is likely to go over with consumers.
How-to: run Chrome OS as a virtual machine
Itching for some Chrome OS? Well, we all are, but you might be a bit disappointed at the fact that while Google has open-sourced its progress on the OS so far, the version that is currently available for download seems eons behind what Google showed off at its event yesterday. Still, if you just have to see it for yourself, the good news is that it's a total breeze to get a virtual machine running. We used a VMWare image that was packaged up by the kind folks at gdgt, and set it up with VMWare Fusion running on a recent model MacBook Pro. Your mileage may vary depending on your particular setup (there's also an image available for the free, cross-platform VirtualBox software), but the principles should remain the same. Check it out on video after the break.
Editorial: Chrome OS is what I want, but not what I need
There's obviously something seriously wrong with me, since the idea of a feature-stripped OS that over-relies on a web browser at the expense of more powerful single-purpose apps has delightful shivers running up my spine. In fact, in a fleeting moment of ill-advised adulation, I was considering buying a netbook with solid state storage so that I'd be all prepped to hack this pre-release version of Chrome OS onto it and web-app to my heart's content. The real issue is that at the end of the day I know I'm always (well, for the next few years at least) going to be too reliant on "heavyweight" desktop applications like audio, video and image editors to really cut the cord and stuff my whole life into the cloud. But the chimes of freedom flashing in Chrome OS are too great to ignore, and I think there's plenty going on here that could be very beneficial to a "real" desktop OS.
Chrome for OS X before 2010
Google is making some big announcements today during their Chrome OS press event. In addition to the official announcement for Chrome OS they also let another little tidbit of information loose: "Just this year alone in Chrome, there's tons of new stuff coming. Before this year gets over, we'll have 3 more announcements to make. Chrome for Mac will be ready, very close to launch." That's some pretty good news for those of you out there who are running the developer preview and are looking forward to integrating Chrome into your daily browsing.
Live from Google's Chrome OS project announcement
We're sitting in a very small, very colorful meeting room where Google's just minutes of away from giving us a glimpse at Chrome OS and announcing some launch details. Stay tuned! Update: It's over! Thanks for hanging out with us, and be sure to check out Google's videos in our summary post.
Google's Chrome OS revealed -- with video!
digg_url ='http://digg.com/software/Official_First_Chrome_OS_screenshots_revealed'; Google had a low-key event today to preview Chrome OS, its new operating system based on Linux and the Chrome browser. Things are still pretty early -- it's not even in beta yet, let alone on shipping products -- but that's the first official screen shot right there, and the big features are all roughed out. The entire system is web-based and runs in the Chrome browser -- right down to USB drive contents, which show up in a browser tab, and the notepad, which actually creates a Google Docs document. Web apps are launched from a persistent apps panel, which includes Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, and Hulu, among others, and background apps like Google Talk can be minimized to "panels" that dock to the bottom of the screen. Local storage is just used to speed up the system -- everything actually lives in the cloud, so all it takes to swap or borrow machines is a login, and you're good to go. Google also said it's "very committed" to Flash, and that it's looking to hardware accelerate whatever code it can -- although Google didn't have a solid answer to give when asked about Silverlight. Overall, Google was upfront in saying that Chrome OS is focused on very clear use cases for people who primarily use the web, and that it's not trying to do everything: "If you're a lawyer, editing contracts back and forth, this will not be the right machine for you." As far as going to market, Google's not talking details until the targeted launch at the end of next year, but Chrome OS won't run on just anything -- there'll be specific reference hardware. For example, Chrome OS won't work with standard hard drives, just SSDs, but Google is supporting both x86 and ARM CPUs. That also means you won't be able to just download Chrome OS and go, you'll have to buy a Chrome OS device approved by Google. Interesting move, for sure -- but since the entire OS is totally open-source as of today, we're sure it'll be hacked onto all kinds of hardware soon enough. (And for the record, the demo was run on an off-the-shelf Eee PC.) Check Google's intro videos after the break!
Google announcing Chrome OS launch plans this Thursday
It's looking increasingly unlikely that Google's Chrome OS is really launching this week (not that we were really that convinced anyway). What is true, however, is that the company is hosting an event later this week at its Mountain View, CA headquarters to showcase its progress, provide an overview of the platform, and give information on its "launch plans for next year." Excited? Us, too.
Google's Chrome OS just a week away from launch?
We'd heard last month that this month was the month that Google would finally launch its highly-anticipated Chrome OS, and now we've got a "reliable source" over at TechCrunch asserting that the software is gearing up for launch "within a week." Granted, we can't ever be too certain when it comes to a rumor such as this, but if the system really does hit the wilds, we probably won't see it available for every machine on the face of the planet. The presumed Alpha build will likely only support a select few products that Google engineers have had a chance to specifically work with -- possibly something such as an Eee PC netbook, which has generally the same specifications regardless of design or model number. Either way, we'd go ahead and prepare ourselves for something new before the end of November -- but don't let it spoil your holidays should things get pushed back a bit, okay?
Google making Waves across all its Apps?
We just received a set of screengrabs from an anonymous source giving us a glimpse at what appears to be Google's (and thus, the world's) future interface to its web applications, Gmail in particular. While we were originally tempted to ignore them, communications with the tipster would indicate genuine insider knowledge. Regardless, we can not independently confirm the authenticity of these images. Having said that, the pics demonstrate a more unified apps interface based on Google's Wave and accessible from any browser (as they are now). Specifically, we're told that "the goal is to provide a consistent experience throughout all Google Apps and blur the line between the browser and the website (e.g. drag and drop, right-click, etc.)." Something that certainly makes sense to us based on what we know about Google's tender approach to its Chrome browser and its future "lightweight" Chrome OS. If true then this "work in progress" also hints at the importance of Wave to the future of Google. Then again, it could be just one of many possible interface concepts from Google's burgeoning developer's sandbox.%Gallery-77775%
Google Chrome released for Mac
Google has released an official developer preview of Google Chrome for the Mac. Rather than digging through nightly development builds, you can download the developer preview of the WebKit-based browser at Google's official webpage. Chrome sports several features similar to Safari 4 in Snow Leopard, such as sandboxing - each tab runs as its own process, so if one crashes, it doesn't bring down the whole browser. It also sports the "tabs on top" interface present in some builds of the Safari 4 beta released earlier this year. Some people hated tabs on top in Safari, but others eventually got used to it and even missed the feature when it was omitted from the final release of Safari 4; if tabs on top is your thing, then Chrome has you covered. Chrome supports importing bookmarks, settings, and history from whatever browser you're currently using, so if you're curious to see how it runs on a Mac, go ahead and give it a try. Let us know in the comments if you run into any issues. [Via Download Squad]
