Google Chrome is quite possibly the best web browser you can install on your Mac or PC, and it could soon be the best browser on your iOS device, too. According to one analyst, Google is “definitely” bringing Chrome to the App Store this year — possibly before the end of this quarter — which is bad news for Apple.
If it doesn’t arrive by the end of this quarter, it will arrive before the end of the year, according to a report from Macquarie analyst Ben Schacter. “Google Chrome browser for iOS is coming,” Schacter writes. “Apple may already be reviewing Google’s submitted code.”
If Chrome makes its way to iOS, it won’t just be huge for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch users, but also for Apple and Google, too.
According to Business Insider, Apple receives an estimated 50%-60% revenue share for Google searches made through the mobile Safari browser, which means for every $1 billion in search revenue from iOS devices, Apple gets around $600 million while Google gets just $400 million.
But by cutting out Safari with an official Chrome browser, Google can forget handing over a huge cut to Apple and keep 100% of its search revenue. Of course, not every iOS user will adopt Chrome, so Apple will still take a cut. But if it’s anywhere near as popular as Chrome for desktops, Google will claw back a huge percentage of its revenues.
You could argue that Apple will just reject the Chrome browser, but I don’t think it would do the company any favors if it rejects an app based solely on this reason.
Let’s just hope Google can make Chrome a better experience than its most recent apps — such as Gmail and Google+ — which haven’t been all that great.
Source: Business Insider
Killian Bell is a freelance writer based in the U.K. He has an interest in all things tech and also covers Android over at CultofAndroid.com. You can follow him on Twitter via @killianbell.
9 responses to “Google Will “Definitely” Release Chrome Browser For iPhone This Year [Report]”
Lol, screw ‘analysts’. How does one analyse that.
The latest release of Google+ on iOs is pretty cool, dontcha think?
You do realize that all browsers on iOS are just shells for Apple’s webkit installation, right? Nobody is allowed to bring their own engine in, because of security reasons….at least that was the way things where when Dolphin first arrived on iOS…has anything changed?
Assuming this is true, I’d bet 10-to-1 that Chrome’s installed base grows faster on iOS than Android. http://bit.ly/MgDFZO
@
Kye Alan Russell the way an analyst does that is …
What’s important that isn’t mentioned here is that you can’t make any browser default on iOS like you can on a desktop or Android. If you get a email, calendar details, reminder, follow a link in an app, etc. it will always open in Safari. This is similar to how Microsoft won the early 90’s browser war and Apple’s Safari will always have a good percentage of control on iOS because of this. Until you can make another browser default it will be hard for the likes of Chrome iOS to be as dominant as it could be.
Yeah, like I want another google tracking app on my device. Now the safari JavaScript exploit has been closed, googles looking for another way to get their grubby little hands on your information. Good luck with that.
Absolutely agree.
Sorry. One reason why I can’t stand Android phones is because the Web browser is clunky at best. Safari is buttery smooth and I won’t lose that