Filed under: Software, Internet Tools, Beta Beat
Google Chrome browser for Mac coming later this year? You can test it now.
Despite rumors that the Google Chrome Web browser for Mac would not ship until 2010, it appears that the golden version of the new browser may be heading to Macs a lot sooner than expected.The Wall Street Journal reported last week that CEO (and former Apple board member) Eric Schmidt and co-founder Sergey Brin had a few things to say about the new browser, including (according to 9to5Mac) that Chrome browser for Mac will ship in "a couple of months."
Apparently, the relatively slow adoption of the beta version of the browser has been due in part to the fact that development of the Mac version has lagged behind work for other platforms. To quote Schmidt, "The fundamental story about Chrome is speed. We were hurt by slowness to bring out a Mac version. People who move to Chrome have trouble moving back because of the speed."
The Mac beta version is available and can be downloaded by those who are willing to use a browser without certain privacy features that is "not appropriate for general consumer use." I've had it on my Macs for about the last week and have been impressed with the speed of page rendering, although not with the current compatibility with some sites.
So, TUAW readers -- is Google Chrome (the browser, not the OS) too little, too late? Or is it a web browser that will make a difference on the Mac platform? Voice your opinions in the comments section below.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Victor said 11:07AM on 10-12-2009
too little, too late. the interface is probably going to be ugly, and the likelyhood that it will be faster than safari is already is pretty slim. I'll stick with safari for now.
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d-man said 5:08PM on 10-12-2009
I am a chrome user. I've got the beta. Yes, it's unstable. Yes, it doesn't support typing in flash. Yes, it doesn't support printing. Yes, it's not the best browser around. But it blazes. It has features I use to have to install plug ins to get. I love it. I can't wait for the official release.
K said 6:36PM on 10-12-2009
@ d-man, I still am finding my Webkit nightly is MUCH faster than Chromium nightlies...
sinless said 11:13AM on 10-12-2009
I really enjoy Chrome in Windows and miss it when browsing within OSX. I look forward to the release and hope it'll be even better when run in an operating system that's more stable than Windows.
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mitch said 11:13AM on 10-12-2009
I am looking forward to Chrome for OS X. It is very good for the Mac platform to have companies like Google support it.
I will try Chrome and, who knows, it may become my backup browser.
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Rob47 said 11:19AM on 10-12-2009
I've been using it occasionally seems good but yeh lots of compatibility issues. Firefox is my main browser, I tried S4 but it runs really slow for some reason like when I open a new tab it takes much longer than the others, any one got some advice to speed it up?
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Rob said 12:18PM on 10-12-2009
Are you running it in Leopard or Snow Leopard? I have to say the biggest increase in speed for any program between the two for me was with Safari. More than double the speed in SL. Page loads are practically instantaneous for me, and I've never had a problem opening tabs or anything of the such. In actuality firefox has been the really sluggish one for me. It seems like the longer I use firefox the slower it goes.
Rob47 said 1:10PM on 10-12-2009
I'm using SL it was a bit faster at first but then it slowed down. The page speeds are pretty fast but everything else the new tabs, top site page and my CPU and ram usage shoot up. Safari also causes flash intensive things like games and promo sites to stutter while firefox runs them flawlessly.
Jeff said 11:21AM on 10-12-2009
What about Stainless? I've played around with it and it seems to be a good browser. Looks and acts like Chrome.
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zhell said 8:44AM on 10-14-2009
I agree. Stainless rocks. You get the advantages of per-tab processes etc. without the privacy invasion of Google Chrome (and all their other products...).
Check it out: stainlessapp.com
Works great under Snow Leopard, too, and clicktoflash still works :-)
JizzyJerry said 11:24AM on 10-12-2009
Finally! At least a test/dev version is available! DL-ing now.
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brombl said 12:01PM on 10-12-2009
Chrome beta for Mac has been available for a long time now… And test builds of Chromium w/ the UI (and a fancy blue version of the logo) have been available for even longer…
Greg said 11:24AM on 10-12-2009
Why would I use Chrome when I can have Safari. In fact I use Safari on Windows too. Not counting the awkward placement of the Refresh button in Safari, I think it is the best browser by far.
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jonathan ober said 11:27AM on 10-12-2009
refresh button... come on...just hit command+r
jonathan ober said 11:25AM on 10-12-2009
I downloaded it so I can test websites in it...cause we web designers just love testing website compatibility.
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Platsek said 11:32AM on 10-12-2009
I am looking forward to see Stainless 1.0.
Much more innovative and interesting than Chrome.
Check it out here: www.stainlessapp.com
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me said 11:28AM on 10-12-2009
I'm strangely addicted to native apps - I don't know if it's psychological, or if it's real, but Safari seems a lot snappier than Firefox. I really appreciate being able to scroll through my history, something I had thought was only gimmicky eyecandy, and the way Firefox renders some form elements really bothers me.
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me said 11:34AM on 10-12-2009
Heh. Forgot to include any relevance to this post - as for Chrome, it doesn't have that native feel either.
Joe Mac Stevens said 11:33AM on 10-12-2009
I love using Chrome when I am on a PC, but I don't have any interest using it on a Mac. Chrome is good but it doesn't math the simplicity of Safari just yet. Kudos to Google for supporting the Mac though.
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simon said 11:30AM on 10-12-2009
I've been using the Mac Chrome beta for a while. It has got progressively more stable. Some preferences are unavailable, but on the whole it's quite good.
Rendering issues aside, it's been generally quite nippy and I'm sure it will be a worthy contender when it reaches its first consumer release.
Safari is blindingly fast for me though, so it's a tough call. Chrome needs a killer feature to bowl me over. Otherwise, I'm sticking with Safari for everyday stuff and FF for web dev.
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