Google Chrome: If You Can’t Beat ‘Em, Force Em
By Anna Johnson on November 25th, 2008Back in the day there was Netscape… and there was Internet Explorer. And, rather helplessly, Netscape watched on as Internet Explorer not only became the most popular web browser, but also became the default browser. Literally.
Microsoft did what it did best – do deals with computer manufacturers – so that its browser was pre-installed on every PC. Very smart.
But what happens when another powerful player decides that it wants ITS browser to be the default browser? A player such as… Google?
Well, apparently, Google is seriously considering doing deals with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) so that its web browser, Google Chrome, comes pre-installed on their PCs. Whether this means IE won’t also be pre-installed or not, I don’t know. Google probably doesn’t want to attract any more attention from the U.S.
Justice Department than it’s recently received. Especially, since it was the very issue of forcing/encouraging OEMs to provide IE on computers that got Microsoft into trouble with the Justice Department back in the 1990s.
In any case, Google has to do something if it wants more people using Chrome. And doing deals with OEMs is definitely a way of gaining market penetration FAST. According to NetApplications, Chrome’s share of the browser market is currently a rather insubstantial 0.74 percent.
Source: Sarah Perez, “Google Chrome May Be Pre-installed On New PCs”, ReadWriteWeb, November 21, 2008, NetApplications Browser Market Share
November 25th, 2008 at 4:59 pm
I am sure Google has the financial clout to buy their way into the browser market. I much prefer the way FireFox has got the job done, by presenting a quality alternative and putting a dent in IE’s dominance.
I know that once I made the switch to FireFox, my malware attacks have significantly decreased. Go Mozilla!
November 26th, 2008 at 5:07 am
Firefox has also encouraged and benefited from lots of plugins. Another big reason why it’s my browser of choice. I also tend to think the market is more sophisticated than it was in the late 90s. People know that ‘just because it comes installed on your new PC… doesn’t mean it’s good’. Having said that, Google may well develop Chrome into a top browser.