Google Chrome Browser Coming to iOS?

[benthewraith]

Is Apple a no-good advertising company? No.
Does Apple have a history of selling information to advertisers? No.
Did Apple just consolidate all their services into the worst privacy policy ever? No.

Sorry, Google is evil.. plain and simple.

This is entirely incorrect.

Apple does provide advertising for companies through iAds and it does provide that information to their partners in regards to advertising. How else would advertisers be able to verify that their ads are properly reaching 18-29 year olds or 30-45 year olds? Apple's word? Apple, just the same as Google, wants all your information and has access to thousands of your photos, emails, IMs and iMessages, etc.

Just as Google can piece together your identity through your searches and Facebook can do it from your likes/dislikes and what websites you visit, Apple can piece together your identity through your music, television, App Store and movie purchases.

And Apple has been caught before with logging consumers' location history.

 

[a0me]

What's the point or advantage to using chrome on an iOS devise?

The advantage of using Chrome on your iOS device is obvious if you're using Chrome on your other devices (Mac, PC), and you use Google Sync to sync your bookmarks and such.
I switched to Chrome on my Mac because both Safari and Firefox were unusably slow on my ageing machine, and to be honest I don't miss the older browsers at all.

 

[skellener]

I welcome Chrome for iOS. Chrome on Mac OSX rocks! On the iPad I use Atomic Browser. Unlike Safari, you can tell Atomic Browser to act like a desktop browser. You get to see sites the way they were meant to be seen. No mobile crap - just the real internet. If Chrome can do the same thing, then great! I just wish you could change the default browser to your choice.

 

[applesith]

The advantage of using Chrome on your iOS device is obvious if you're using Chrome on your other devices (Mac, PC), and you use Google Sync to sync your bookmarks and such.
I switched to Chrome on my Mac because both Safari and Firefox were unusably slow on my ageing machine, and to be honest I don't miss the older browsers at all.

Personally, I don't want all my chrome bookmarks on my iPhone or iPad. Id rather have them separate. Chrome is much better than safari and Firefox on my Mac. Not sure if I'd see the difference in performance of a lighter browser on a mobile device.

 

[a0me]

Personally, I don't want all my chrome bookmarks on my iPhone or iPad. Id rather have them separate. Chrome is much better than safari and Firefox on my Mac. Not sure if I'd see the difference in performance of a lighter browser on a mobile device.

I forgot to mention the other main reason that I use Chrome which is that it stores my passwords and share/sync it among my devices.

 

[applesith]

I forgot to mention the other main reason that I use Chrome which is that it stores my passwords and share/sync it among my devices.

I use chrome on my Mac too. Mobile versions nbere have the full capabilities of their desktop counterparts. Pretty much all mobile versions are stripped down to the pony that they are all the same.

 

[gjwfoasfsaevg]

Is Apple a no-good advertising company? No.
Does Apple have a history of selling information to advertisers? No.
Did Apple just consolidate all their services into the worst privacy policy ever? No.

Sorry, Google is evil.. plain and simple.

Well, since, unlike Safari, Chrome Sync doesn't give your data to anyone, your arguments are moot, even if they weren't biased and hyperbolic.

 

[The Phazer]

I thought those restrictions were only about core phone functionality such as phone, and text messaging, and so on?

Certainly not historically. Podcast apps were blocked entirely for duplicating functionality, and we've recently seen Apple attacking voice recognition apps.

Phazer

 

[Les Kern]

Whatever, just have some kind of solution in place by August for Google Docs on iOS. I got a school to run.

 

[MythicFrost]

Certainly not historically. Podcast apps were blocked entirely for duplicating functionality, and we've recently seen Apple attacking voice recognition apps.

Phazer

Mmm, I see. I suppose with browsers though Apple actually gives them the APIs for such, so it makes sense they allow them. I'd like to see a better YouTube app lol...

 

[mixel]

Clearly you were wrong then 15 million views for the week ending May 1st.
http://www.experian.com/hitwise/online-trends-social-media.html

Granted its a pin prick on Facebook, but then, G+ is a lot newer and those stats only represent the US. G+ has been a big hit outside the US.

Do I use G+? Nope. I dont like it. But at least we can get the facts right - G+ is growing at a fair and steady rate.

Slightly better than.. Myspace! Woohoo!

I'm actually surprised it's not doing much better than that!

Also surprised how well pinterest is doing. Scary.

I'll definitely give Chrome a go, Safari freezes up my system randomly in ML DP3 so I've been forced to ditch it for a while, will be interesting to see how Chrome is on iOS.

 

[John.B]

Does Safari encrypt all your data before it uploads it to the Apple servers for synchronization? Yeah, didn't think so. Chrome does.

It's still being sent to Google, who's entire business model is selling information about you, encrypted or no.

 

[Daveoc64]

Aren't "alternative browsers" on iOS not really alternative browsers? Either they have to do their rendering on a remote computer or just be a wrapper for Safari's internet engine? Would there be any substantial benefit to using chrome here over safari?

I'd say that the major benefit will be the omnibox. I hate having to switch between the URL box and Search box in Safari. Being able to sync bookmarks will be another good feature. The other thing I really don't like about Safari is that the search isn't customisable. If I start typing a query, I get American search suggestions back - that's totally useless. With every other browser I can specify that I want the UK version.

Google would just have to use the built-in WebKit rendering engine used by the onboard Safari rather than their own customized WebKit engine like they normally do.

A lot of Chrome's features just wouldn't be possible without being able to use their own engine.

Chrome is touted as the fastest web browser. The UIWebView has the disadvantage that it cannot make full use of the most recent JavaScript JIT engine added to iOS, meaning that any App using a UIWebView will be slower than Safari.

Given that Safari is already slower than Chrome is, that's not going to be a good solution.

 

[Cheffy Dave]

I would welcome this! I use Chrome exclusively. seems unable to stop the Safari beach balls that come and go, more so now with Lion.
Chrome works very fast, never has a beach ball

 

[oneapplegeek]

I use Chrome on my mac because everyone knows it's way faster than safari or firefox. But, I don't see the point of using chrome on iPhone since safari does its job pretty well. It's just great to have some choices!

 

[Rogifan]

It's funny how much app store restrictions have changed over the years, regarding "duplicating functionality". There are browser apps and email apps all over the app store now.

But don't all the browser apps use Safari web kit a the back end?

 

[foodog]

This would be nice. But I am not sure Google (or anyone else) will be able to set a browser other than Safari as the default browser. iOS is too restrictive to allow third party innovation to thrive.

Sparrow mail seems to be doing fine.

 

[ncaissie]

never understood the point of their search app. why would i leave my browser to use another app to search something lol

If you are not in the ios and you hold down the home button it prompts you to speak a search. It's convenient. Probably where the idea for Siri came from.

Edit: Never mind I was thinking of the voice control thing.

 

[Mad-B-One]

Atomic 4tw!

See, I like the Atomic Browser. I used it in the light version for a while and then I bought the real thing. It has the advantage that you can easily mask the browser as any IE, Mac-Safari, Firefox, etc. which helps you not to get a dumbed-down mobile version on an ipad. It also can go full-screen with just one little tab and offers multituch tab switch etc.
I really don't care that it actually is not a "browser" in the reall sense because it has to use the Safari by iOS. It works superb as a Mozilla Firefox and that is what I need because I hate these mobile pages. Masking as IE is always problematic because Microsoft thinks that they have to handle code differently than the standard protocol and sites optimized for IE might not show right on emulated browsers.

 

[goosnarrggh]

I don't see how its even allowed when MS did the same and look what that got them.

I've browsed the web on Windows 3.1, Windows 95 RTM, Windows 95 OSR2, Windows NT 4.0, Windows 98, Windows 98 SE, Windows Me, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7.

I have never had any circumstance in which I was blocked from installing a 3rd party web browser.

Nor have I ever been blocked from selecting which web browser I wanted to associate with HTML files and HTTP links by default (in versions of Windows that were able to deal with concepts such as launching applications in response to documents and hyperlinks).

 

[Macist]

Would Chrome have text reflow when your resize? That's about the one thing about Safari on iOS I hate. Yes, Reader is ever better but it seems not to function on around 40% of sites where you expect it would.

 

[ZCherub]

This is one of the best reasons why jailbreaking is still relevant. Almost all of the functionality I had with a jailbroken 3G has been replicated (or done even better) on iOS 5—except the ability to switch default browsers. iCab is a much nicer browser than Safari, and one of the frustrations with my 4S was Safari's constant intrusion, for no good reason except Apple insists on forcing it on me. As soon as a jailbreak was released for the 4S I was able to dump Safari for good, and that alone is significant enough that I refuse to update my phone until a jailbreak is available.

It really is obnoxious of Apple to insist that you must use their crap browser, whether you want to or not. I'm not a fan of antitrust laws, and I think the lawsuit against Microsoft was ridiculous, but on the other hand what's good for the goose is good for the gander, right? I hope they get the pants sued off them for this nonsense.

Yep. Installed Dolphin browser from the App Store, then immediately installed "Browser Changer" from Cydia and selected Dolphin. Now Dolphin is my default browswer anytime a link is clicked in any other app on the device, and I couldn't be happier with it.

 

[Mochi Hana]

Apple's lockdown on simple things like changing the default browser frustrate me.

Same here. This is something I desperately want them to change with iOS 6, although I doubt it will happen.

 

[Resseh]

I could care less about a browser, so I am fine with Safari...I actually used Safari for Windows years ago because I liked it better than IE.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om7O0MFkmpw

 

[BJMRamage]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om7O0MFkmpw

well, now I feel like a fool. I better watch my typing and autocorrect a lot more now. or not post at work when i have to type quickly and post without a second glance back to be sure what I meant to type was actually typed.

I clicked the youtube link, watched and then went back to the post and clearly saw the mistake. I've taken english and journalism classes and writing ones too. Usually I am one to spot a mistake and correct it. Clearly this was not my best performance in writing on a forum. I shall try to better myself in these quips.

Thanks.