Google is Browsing on the Web
By Azam on September 1, 2008 
Google is launching a browser that would allow users to explore the web through a browser that is custom built for integrating with other Google applications. Google is getting ready for a race with the competition in a fully geared up, loaded V8 engine, and well polished Chrome web browser. Google released information on the browser in a comic book format to explain the Chrome product. Goolge sent the comic illustrations to blogoscoped, and Google officially announced the product in a blog post.
Google “Chrome,” browser is expected to be made available for downloading on Tuesday in more than 100 countries for computers running on Microsoft’s Windows operating system. Google said will make Chrome browser versions compatible with Apple Inc.’s Mac and the Linux operating system available in the future.
“We realized that the Web had evolved from mainly simple text pages to rich, interactive applications and that we needed to completely rethink the browser,” said the Google blog post, credited to Sundar Pichai, vice president of product management, and Linus Upson engineering director.
“The Web gets better with more options and innovation,” Sundar Pichai, Google’s vice president of product management, and Linus Upson, Google’s engineering director, wrote in the posting. “Google Chrome is another option, and we hope it contributes to making the Web even better.”
Browser Market Share and Competition
Microsoft’s Internet Explorer continues to dominate the browser market with 72 percent share of market, followed by Mozilla Corp.’s Firefox with 20 percent and Apple’s Safari with 6.4 percent, according to research firm Net Applications of Aliso Viejo, California.
The news of Goolge Browser comes after recent developments in the Internet browser market.
Mozilla
Recently, Mozilla announced last week it extended an agreement through 2011 to keep Google as its default search engine. Google has been strong supporter of the non-profit Mozilla Foundation behind the popular Firefox browser and through agreements provides the foundation with revenues and works closely with open source Mozilla offer engineering support.
Mozilla announced recently the launching of Ubiquity
to enhance interactivity interfaces with individual components of the web with the browser. Ubiquity will allow users to easily communicate and share components through a browser as in a mash up: pictures, videos, maps and other interactive features.
Google’s partnership with Mozilla was an effective way to deal with Microsoft threat to the browser market. The Open Source solution allowed the growth of an alternative a strong developer community to offer a compelling alternative solution. Mozilla is the same browser that helped launch Netsacpe into the browser market and threat to Microsoft and its OS dominance in the ear of PC computing. Microsoft, successfully thwarted Netscape dominance in the web browser market and lead to its acquisition and eventual demise with AOL.
Microsoft
Google will more directly compete with Microsoft in the browser space. Previously, Google was weary of Microsoft’s potential threat of using its dominance in web browser market to direct away from Google products and applications. Recently, Microsoft announced IE8 would have ability to search the web in private mode that would prevent advertisers from knowing important traffic information from users to target advertising. The ability to prevent import user information from reaching Google could be devastating in terms of potential threat to advertising revenues. Microsoft dominance of the OS and Browser market is a serious threat to any software and internet web based company that may pose a threat or perceived threat to Microsoft efforts. The growing market for web based computing “cloud computing” will shift the landscape away from the OS and will need to integrate more closely with increasing web components used in a more complex and interactive environment. The browser is a key component in the ability to integrate web services and applications.
Earlier, Google went after the desktop application market with open office that directly competed with Microsoft Office. Google offered the product for free and allows users to store and access information from any browser. Google keeps adding various applications and tools that can be incorporated in web based computing or browser based environment: calendar, video, pictures, maps, etc. Google functions strongly on advertising revenues so the browser plays an important strategic role for Google in ability to target advertising the search engine and the browser. Microsoft could be in a position of thwarting or redirecting traffic away from sites or leave out critical information that is required for Google’s success.
The market for Web-based software may reach $160 billion by 2011, including revenue from advertising, Merrill Lynch & Co. said in a May report.
Tags : , Chrome, Firefox, Goolge, Internet Browser, Microsoft, Mozilla
while you say google should compete directly against firefox, my stats are showing differently. your stats will also probably differ. but my theory is that only geeks download alternative browsers. and now that google has entered that territory, many are being swayed by google chrome.