Webkit-based browser released at Google IO

Less than 12 hours after initial release, Google Chrome is the number one free application on the iOS App Store. The new Webkit-based browser app supports the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch, and requires iOS 4.3 or greater. The iOS version shares its features with the desktop versions, which are available for Mac, Windows and Linux.

Ironically, the iOS version of Chrome is available to a far wider percentage of iOS units than the just-released Android version, which requires Android 4.0 and thus only runs on about seven percent of current Android devices. Chrome for iOS implements tabbed browsing with quick-switch between tabs. Login credentials are synchronized across user's devices, and a "incognito" mode allows for browsing without history sharing or cookie saving.

Initial tests by MacNN show Chrome lagging behind iOS Safari in page loading, both with and without Java elements in the page. The difference in speed is likely because of Chrome's use of UIWebView rather than Safari's Nitro. Testing of the universal app was performed on an iPhone 4.

By Electronista Staff

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Google, iPhone apps, Chrome, iPad apps