Oh, There’s No Place Like Chrome for the Holidays

Don’t look at me like that, who doesn’t like the The Carpenters?

OK, so the news.

Google has, finally, released Google Chrome for the Mac. As Google admits, "it took longer than we expected" but it appears to have been worth the wait. The beta browser is blazingly fast, and packed with all the cool features of Chrome–and a few extra that are Mac-flavored.

The video below provides a quick overview for Mac users:

In addition, Google has launched a gallery of more than 300 Google Chrome extensions (plugins), which despite the above announcement, are not available on the Mac version.

Lastly, though not Chrome-related, Google has announced updates to its Offline Gmail project–removing it from Labs and throwing in a few extra functions. Perfect for when you go "over the hill to Grandma’s house"–who likely doesn’t have internet access.

Shiny Future for Chrome?

For all of the talk of social media, software as a service (SaaS) and the future of the Internet one of the most important components for delivery is that workhorse of the whole deal; the browser. Right now, Internet Explorer is the market leader with Firefox a solid second. While Safari will always be limited to the Mac-iverse the introduction of Chrome version 3 for the PC reminds us that Google needs to be a part of this mix as well. Hey, it wouldn’t be the Internet unless Google was involved, right?

TechCrunch reports that there is more to the picture though as revealed in an interview by Reuters like Mac users finally getting their chance to see their reflection in the Chrome world.

While Chrome currently has just under 3 percent of the browser market currently, a year from now, they’re planning to have at least 5 percent. More importantly, 2 years from now, if Chrome doesn’t have at least 10 percent share, Google will be “exceptionally disappointed,” Chrome Engineering Director Linus Upson told Reuters. And Google’s own internal projections for the browser are even higher, apparently.

But Google also has a big wildcard it has yet to play: Mac support. And in the same Reuters article, Google confirmed that its Chrome for Mac will be available before the end of this year.

As pointed out in the article, right now Mac users are a bit stuck with a slow Firefox experience but a lot of add-ons or a quicker Safari with fewer bells and whistles. Chrome for the Mac promises to bring both to the table. Personally, I am very excited because I am wearing out the force quit on Firefox as a recent Mac convert. TC’s MG Siegler makes takes the anticipation to another level

Chrome promises to bring a combination of both speed and plug-ins to the Mac. I’ve been using the developer builds of Chromium (the open source project behind Chrome) for months now, and it’s definitely getting really, really close to being ready for prime time.

I’m in. What’s your browser preference and does Chrome look to be a part of your future?

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