Google has just announced the first official beta versions of Google Chrome, its browser, for Mac and Linux. As of now, these versions are only available in the developer channel, which is Google’s cutting edge, rapid-release channel for Google Chrome that is geared towards developers and testers, but not the mainstream public.
For now, Google is actually asking users not to download Chrome for the Mac and Linux just yet, unless they are ready to be disappointed. If you’re brave though, here is the download link.
We have regularly tested Chromium builds for the Mac in the last few weeks, and they have definitely become a lot more stable over time, though you still won’t be able to see any Adobe Flash content. Chromium is the open source project behind Chrome and the V8 JavaScript engine.
Overall, while it is nice to see that Google is ready to show some official Chrome builds for Mac and Linux, if our own experience with Chromium is any indication, this release will be fast and usable – but chances are that it will also crash regularly. As this is a dev channel release, Google will probably push out an update at least once a week, and it will be interesting to watch how the development progresses.
Google has clearly started to make some in-roads with Chrome. Here at RWW, about 8% of all our visitors use Chrome (up from around 6% in January). From what we can see, it has mostly taken away user share from Firefox, which is interesting, given the close relationship between Mozilla and Google. Given how many RWW readers use Macs (about 20% of you), we expect Chrome’s percentage to go up quickly on our site and others like it.
