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Do people use Chrome browser on MBA?

A

arrowtree

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 30, 2013
59
0
do people use Chrome browser on MBA?

or is that silly? I'm still patiently waiting for my MBA(my first Mac) to arrive.

I'm hopelessly addicted to Chrome browser. It started when I got a free CR-48 chromebook from Google as a beta user, then on my PCs, then on all of my smartphones)
 
Honestly, I tried using Chrome for about 2 weeks on my MBA. While I didn't mind it, the only reason that I mainly used it was for forums where there were a lot of GIFs or pictures (Safari always gave me problems with loading a bunch of GIFs). However, the lack of being able to use the iCloud keychain for my passwords and CC info turned me away from Chrome. I know a lot of people were saying that Chrome for Mavericks used a lot of battery, but I didn't notice much as I usually am connected to power source.
 
It's a pretty silly question as Apple has probably sold a million MacBook Airs. At least one person has downloaded and used Chrome.

And it might just be me.

Anyhow, I occasionally use the Chrome browser since I refuse to let resource pig Adobe Flash Player run rampant on Safari.

Also, I'll download Flash Player, then chuck it in the plugins folder in iCab. That ensures that I can run the genuine Flash Player on one browser. Safari doesn't have a clue where the Flash Player plugin resides and thus won't run any Flash content.

Chrome is a bit of a resource pig itself because of its native Flash support. I don't care too much for Google staring for my shoulder at every move, so I assiduously blow away all Chrome browser history (including cookies) when I exit the browser.

I prefer a Flash Player-less Safari for my normal web browsing.

But use what you like. No one here really cares what you do with your computer as long as you're not harming someone else.
 
Last edited:
I refuse to install Flash - so I use Safari most of the time but when I need to work on a Flash site, or use the Chrome developer tools, I use Chrome.
 
arrowtree said:
or is that silly?
Click to expand...

Why is that silly? Use whatever available you like.

However, since you are coming from PC, maybe you should try out Safari on OSX and Chrome on OSX before you decide what you like best in the new environment.

I find Safari's gestures smoother than Chrome so that's my main browser but I do keep Chrome and Firefox there occasionally,
 
ok.. for my final Macbook Air browser question. It's about as dumb as
you will ever hear... so here it goes:

Can you use Internet Explorer browser on the Macbook Air? :confused:

It can't be that far-fetched, or can it? Microsoft Office can be installed on Macs, right? :)
 
Not unless you use some sort of virtualization software like Parallels, maybe Wine.

Microsoft discontinued the Mac OS X version of Internet Explorer over ten years ago.

Source: Wikipedia
 
after mavericks i switched over to safari after having used chrome for years now

tbh i think the browsing performance is still better on chrome but since battery life is better on safari, I just switched and didn't look back.
 
arrowtree said:
do people use Chrome browser on MBA?

or is that silly? I'm still patiently waiting for my MBA(my first Mac) to arrive.

I'm hopelessly addicted to Chrome browser. It started when I got a free CR-48 chromebook from Google as a beta user, then on my PCs, then on all of my smartphones)
Click to expand...

I've noticed that a lot of people who have Macs use the Chrome browser. I used to but honestly I like safari the best. I also have Firefox but that's only because my online class uses a website that isn't compatible with Safari/Chrome. Besides my issue with my class I would only use Safari if I could.
 
Yes, if you _must_ use IE, you need Windows, either as a virtual OS, or you can install Windows on its own partition, using your Boot Camp utility. Boot Camp prepares a partition to allow you to install Windows.

(I can't come up with a reason to actually use IE, but whatever… )

Firefox remains another option, too :D
 
Do people use Chrome browser on MBA?

arrowtree said:
ok.. for my final Macbook Air browser question. It's about as dumb as
you will ever hear... so here it goes:

Can you use Internet Explorer browser on the Macbook Air? :confused:

It can't be that far-fetched, or can it? Microsoft Office can be installed on Macs, right? :)
Click to expand...

Not anymore unless you use some sort of VM software, there used to be a Mac version that allowed you to use IE but I don't think it's compatible with Mavericks. Yes, Macs have a version of MS Office that can be installed. I think it cost over $100 though. You can always get Pages/Keynote/Numbers for free, it's basically Apple's version of MS Office. Pages even has the ability to convert into .doc/.docx format
 
firefox brings every computer i use to a grinding halt sooner or later. probably something I'm doing wrong - in fact almost certainly...some weird addon or something. but you know what doesn't slow down my computer but is just as good as firefox? chrome.

nothing against safari - i have been trying to use it more and more since the keynote..but for now i still prefer chrome. don't even install firefox on my computers anymore.
 
I use Chrome almost exclusively. Safari is a fine browser, but I used a number of different machines and syncing with Chrome is VERY easy, plus I have some extensions I don't wish to give up.
 
Not a fan of chrome had some problems with some sites I use, photobucket used to be a big problem and anyway trying to kick the google habit. Would use Safari more but the ad block is nowhere as good as the one on Firefox.
 
I use Chrome on my 2011 11" MBA, works perfectly.

The people saying they want Keychain, Chrome can sync data as well, and I think it can even access Keychain.
 
Chrome is faster when I have lots of browsers opened up, from my experience. I also user safari and Firefox as well, just not as much. Safari is better for os x gestures, that's the only advantage for it really.
 
The title is rather a silly question, many people including myself use Chrome on the MBA.

Your second question is not though, IE is not available in Mountain Lion. Your best bet would be to virtualize or bootcamp Windows and use IE through there. Yes, this is Microsoft Office and it works fine but personally if I need Office I just boot into Windows. Less issues.
 
With Firefox's sidepanel and the extension "autoclose bookmark" I can bounce around from site to site sooooooo much faster then chromes silly bookmarks way of doing things.

Ill give chrome it's due in saying it is the fastest browser,but when it comes to overall function and getting things done fast...firefox wins hands down.
 
arrowtree said:
do people use Chrome browser on MBA?

or is that silly? I'm still patiently waiting for my MBA(my first Mac) to arrive.

I'm hopelessly addicted to Chrome browser. It started when I got a free CR-48 chromebook from Google as a beta user, then on my PCs, then on all of my smartphones)
Click to expand...

Use any browser that you like. Each person has their own preference.

I don't like Google products as they have become a mega-corporation in brutal competition with Apple. They peddle themselves with a 'be nice' line of BS with very little, perhaps no, respect for individual privacy. In a word, they try to ensnare you into their world to snoop and use and sell your personal data. plus, they don't 'respect' Apple not even making a 64 bit version of Chrome though they do for Windows.

I like Safari as it is geared to the Mac computer line including the MBA. And, of course..it's 64 bit. It is seamless with iCloud and totally supports the new Pages word processor capacity to permit anybody with any machine to collaborate with you on documents via iCloud.

Finally, for total privacy and data security I use the EPIC browser. No history, no 3rd party cookies, no trackers....no snooping. It permits 'privacy' surfing 100 percent of the time.

To each his own.
 
I'm using safari on my MBA. When you get used to gestures, you can't really go back. Everything else seems too primitive now.
 
I use Chrome across all of my devices (except work, where it isn't an option). Convenience of syncing bookmarks, settings, and extensions across Windows, OS X, iOS, and Android trumps any minor performance differences. I use a Flash Blocker on Chrome, so that isn't a concern.
 
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