Less than one day after its release Google Chrome has become the No. 1 free app inside the Apple iOS App store. The new mobile browser based off the Webkit-based programming language supports iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch devices.
The program requires iOS 4.3 or greater and provides a sleek new interface for mobile heavy internet browsers.
Strangely enough the Chrome browser app is available more widely on iOS based devices than it is on Google’s own Android platform which is highly fragmented among mobile manufacturers. The Google Chrome app only works on Android 4.0 and higher, an OS that is only currently available on seven percent of current Android devices.
Once downloaded users will be given the option to sync their Google accounts which in turn provides connectivity between their Mac, Windows and Linux desktop versions of Google Chrome.
Among the browsers features are tabbed browsing with quick-switch tabbing, login credentials for synchronizing across devices and a new “incognito” mode that allows users to browse the web without saving their history or cookies.
Several early reviews have shown Chrome lagging behind iOS Safari in terms of page loading times both with and without Java pages. According to MacNN the slower page load speeds are likely caused by Chrome’s use of UIWebView instead of Safari’s Nitro platform.
While Google’s Chrome may not be the fastest mobile browser on the market the Chrome name mixed with a sleek new interface and account synchronization explains why so many users who already use Chrome on other devices have been so quick to make the jump to Google Chrome for iOS.
