Google browser aimed at Microsoft

Chrome is part of plan to replace packaged software, analyst says

Google's unveiling of a new browser is not really about trying to outmuscle the other top browsers; rather, it's a key weapon in the company's effort to kill Windows, according to industry observers.

A beta version of Chrome, Google's open source browser, was made available last week. Chrome includes a new JavaScript engine that Google says will power web applications better and faster than other browsers. Google Gears, which will provide offline access and local storage for web applications, is also embedded in the browser.

Matt Rosoff, an analyst at Directions on Microsoft, says Chrome could be the key piece in Google's effort to convince users to replace packaged software with web applications.

"This is the potential threat that Microsoft has been worried about since the 1990s," he says. "You've got web apps running inside isolated processes. It really sounds a lot like Google trying to take the web application model and make it more viable as a replacement for the desktop PC application model. This is Google trying to really push applications to the web and make that the way people do computing."

TechCrunch blogger Michael Arrington says Chrome is "nothing less than a full-on desktop operating system that will compete with Windows". Because Google has built its own JavaScript engine, he says, Ajax applications like Gmail and Google Docs should "absolutely roar", he says.

When combined with Google Gears — which provides offline access to web apps — Chrome becomes a potential "Windows Killer", he contends.

"Expect to see millions of web devices, even desktop web devices, in the coming years that completely strip out the Windows layer and use the browser as the only operating system the user needs," Arrington says. "That was going to happen anyway, but Chrome plus Gears just made the decision a whole lot easier for hardware manufacturers. Microsoft, meanwhile, is stuck with a bloated closed source browser that they don't even tether to their search engine for fear of more antitrust woes. Google can push their search engine and other web services all day long on Chrome, with no government interference."

Mike Masnick, CEO of IT research firm Techdirt, agrees that Chrome is a key part of Google's strategy top make the operating system obsolete.

"This is probably a lot more about Google trying to help everyone move beyond the operating system market," he says. "Google knows that the way to beat Microsoft is to become the operating system — the Internet. You do that by relegating the actual OS obsolete."

He notes that while Google faces a tough battle against Microsoft, Chrome does offer features that can make it more attractive to users than Internet Explorer.

"A quick look shows that the features it highlights (being able to run apps separately, better memory management, et cetera) are the sorts of things that allow people to make browser-based apps much more useful, rather than feeling the need to rely on client-side applications," Masnick says. "People have predicted for years that we're getting closer to a world where all computing can be done over the network, and it looks like Google is trying to push that process right along," he says.

Sheri McLeish, an analyst at Forrester, added that Chrome furthers Google's aim to be a "one-stop shop" for everything online users need.

"It ties into their longer term broader strategy around building out a place that is a destination that can leverage their other tools around search," she says. "If they own the browser ... they are increasing the audience to be able to look at the ads that are get served up."

However, she cautions that even Microsoft has had challenges trying to get users to switch to its newer browsers. "There is an overall challenge to get people to switch browsers," she says.

"[Chrome] doesn't mean anything right now. It is a beta. There is a lot of fanfare without much behind it," she says.

Directions on Microsoft's Rosoff adds that Google might face challenges getting Chrome distributed.

"Google is a powerful brand, but they do need a way to distribute the browser," he says. "If you look at this long term, I don't know how PC makers are going to be about everything moving to the web."

Join the newsletter!

Or

Sign up to gain exclusive access to email subscriptions, event invitations, competitions, giveaways, and much more.

Membership is free, and your security and privacy remain protected. View our privacy policy before signing up.

Error: Please check your email address.

Tags MicrosoftGooglechrome

Show Comments
[]