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
