12/08/09
Google readies beta version of Chrome web browser for Mac OS X
More than a year after its initial release – and several trips in and out of beta versions – Google has set a deadline to release a Mac OS X-compatible version of the Chrome web browser by the end of 2009. But, as the company works to meet its deadline, Mac users will reportedly find less features than those using current Windows version. Absent from the initial Chrome web browser beta for Mac that are available to Windows users will be App Mode, bookmark manager, multitouch support, 64-bit compatibility, browser extensions, and Google Gears. Google Gears lets users work with other Google products like Gmail and Google Docs even while offline. The good news is that these features aren't being nixed forever. They're just not going to be a part of the initial beta. Google still plans to incorporate them into future updates leading, eventually, to taking the Mac version of Chrome out of beta. With over a year competing against browsers like Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari, Google's Chrome has managed to gain 3.6 percent of the Windows-based PC web browser market, with a goal to reach 5 percent market share by September of 2010, and 10 percent by 2011.
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