Following straight on from Microsoft’s announcement of its latest version of Internet Explorer with its “InPrivate” setting, (which can block third parties accessing users’ browser habits), Google has announced it is launching its own free web browser in 100 countries, Google Chrome.Google Chrome will also feature its version of "InPrivate," "Incognito Mode," which it says is for “times when you want to browse in stealth mode, for example, to plan surprises like gifts or birthdays. Webpages that you open and files downloaded while you are incognito won't be logged in your browsing and download histories; all new cookies are deleted after you close the incognito window. You can browse normally and in incognito mode at the same time by using separate windows.”
Microsoft's Internet Explorer currently accounts for 72% of the installed browser market, followed by Mozilla Firefox (of which Google is a key partner) with 20%. Google and Firefox recently renewed their partnership agreement until 2011 which contains a clause for Google to be the default search engine within Firefox.
There is whisper that Google’s next step is to partner with OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) to create Windows-free PCs. Google’s strategy of launching internet based applications, such as its Google documents and spreadsheets, aims to shift its users’ habits away from Windows applications, but of course means it is increasingly reliant on browser technology, as acknowledged by Google vice-president of product management, Sundar Pichai, "We realised that the web had evolved from mainly simple text pages to rich, interactive applications and that we needed to completely rethink the browser. What we really needed was not just a browser, but also a modern platform for web pages and applications, and that's what we set out to build."
Check out the official Google Chrome blog site here.
- Sam
