Google Announces Chrome for iPhone and iPad, Available Today

Laura June:

The app will be for iOS 4.3 and higher devices, and will be available today. The app will also support Chrome sync, and looks like it’s just as full-featured as the browser which many of us know and love.

It’s not the Chrome rendering or JavaScript engines — the App Store rules forbid that. It’s the iOS system version of WebKit wrapped in Google’s own browser UI. The pressure for Apple to allow users to specify a third-party app as their default browser is going to increase significantly after this. (As I type this, it’s not yet in the App Store.)

I see the security and control angles on not allowing third-party runtimes, which in turn disallows third-party rendering and JavaScript engines. But I can’t see the angle behind not allowing a third-party app from the App Store to be specified as your preferred default over Mobile Safari. (Same goes for email.)

★ Thursday, 28 June 2012