#io12 – Google releases Chrome browser for iOS devices (video)

29 Jun 2012

Google has launched its long-awaited Chrome browser for iOS devices like the iPad and iPhone. Once you sign into Chrome you can have all your settings from your PC on your smartphone and tablet.

Sundar Pichai, senior vice-president for Chrome & Apps, revealed that the number of users of Chrome worldwide has nearly doubled in the past year from 160m to 310m active users.

Pichai said the mobile web is exploding and unlike a few years ago people are no longer tethered to a single computer, but instead use multiple devices, including computers, smartphones and tablets.

“With that trend in mind, our goal is to offer you a consistent, personalised web experience across all devices,” Pichai said.

In February, Google revealed Chrome for Android and this exited beta this week. Chrome is the standard browser on the Nexus 7 tablet, which will go on sale via the Google Play Store in July.

Like its desktop counterpart, Chrome for iOS allows users to search and navigate from the same box at the top of the page, open and scroll an unlimited amount of tabs, move tabs around, sign in to multiple Google services with the one password, and engage in private browsing or use ‘Incognito’ mode.

It also includes a voice feature where you just say what you’re looking for and Google will search for it.

 

John Kennedy is a journalist who served as editor of Silicon Republic for 17 years

editorial@siliconrepublic.com