Google Launches “Chrome” Web Browser
Google (GOOG) shares are rallying this morning after the company announced that today it is launching Chrome, its own Web browser, to compete with Mozilla’s Firefox, Apple (AAPL) Safari and Microsoft (MSFT) Internet Explorer. Google provides details about the new browser in, uh, a comic book.
According to Google’s blog post, the new browser will be open source, and launches today in 100 countries. The news comes just after the beta release of Internet Explorer 8.
The Street seems quite excited about the prospect of a Google browser.
“What took so long?” asks UBS analyst Benjamin Schachter in a research note on Chrome this morning. “The browser is a key piece of GOOG’s strategy as the company can build it to be compatible with its other apps and use user data to provider better targeted ads.” Schachter says he believes Google’s decision to launch a browser is based in part on concerns about Microsoft’s ability to control the user experience on the Web with IE, “and the potential that MSFT may get more aggressive with the browser as we get further away from the court rulings about the operating system.”
Schachter believes a Google browser “will enable improved access to data and user behavior without relying on Microsoft.” On the other hand, he also cautions that Google has announced a lot of things that have failed to catch on. “Before we get too excited, let’s see the product and GOOG’s ability to push it,” including pre-installation on new hardware devices.
George Askew, an analyst at Stifel Nicolaus contends that Chrome “is an important application launch that compliments Google Docs…and will further enable users to use applications that are independent of Microsoft software products.” He notes that the innovative features of the browser included a multi-threaded structure and greater security. “Google Chrome is partly a defensive move as as Microsoft is incorporating functionality in new browsers that may block the collection of ad targeting information,” he adds.
Lehman’s Doug Anmuth writes today that Chrome’s biggest benefit could come on mobile devices if Google bundles Chrome into its Android mobile platform and gains distribution on other devices. “We believe the simplicity and open-source nature of Chrome is well-suited to the mobile environment,” he writes. “Ultimately, we believe Chrome is part of Google’s overall cloud-based computing strategy as the browser morphs to become the platform of the next generation OS.”
Brian Pitz and Brian Fitzgerald, of Bank of America, assert in a note this morning that “this is the right strategy for GOOG as it attempts to further penetrate MSFT’s browser market share and control the user’s starting point to the Web.” They also assert that widespread adoption of the browser could reduce GOOG’s reliance on Mozilla and PC OEMs for distribution of the Google toolbar, lead to reduced traffic acquisition costs. They do note, however, that this puts them in direct competition with Mozilla’s Firefox, on which Google has been the default search engine.
GOOG today is up $14.44, or 3.1%, to $477.73.
Google (GOOG) shares are rallying this morning after the company announced that today it is launching Chrome, its own Web browser, to compete with Mozilla’s Firefox, Apple (AAPL) Safari and Microsoft (MSFT) Internet Explorer. Google provides details about the new browser in, uh, a comic book.
According to Google’s blog post, the new browser will be open source, and launches today in 100 countries. The news comes just after the beta release of Internet Explorer 8.
The Street seems quite excited about the prospect of a Google browser.
“What took so long?” asks UBS analyst Benjamin Schachter in a research note on Chrome this morning. “The browser is a key piece of GOOG’s strategy as the company can build it to be compatible with its other apps and use user data to provider better targeted ads.” Schachter says he believes Google’s decision to launch a browser is based in part on concerns about Microsoft’s ability to control the user experience on the Web with IE, “and the potential that MSFT may get more aggressive with the browser as we get further away from the court rulings about the operating system.”
Schachter believes a Google browser “will enable improved access to data and user behavior without relying on Microsoft.” On the other hand, he also cautions that Google has announced a lot of things that have failed to catch on. “Before we get too excited, let’s see the product and GOOG’s ability to push it,” including pre-installation on new hardware devices.
George Askew, an analyst at Stifel Nicolaus contends that Chrome “is an important application launch that compliments Google Docs…and will further enable users to use applications that are independent of Microsoft software products.” He notes that the innovative features of the browser included a multi-threaded structure and greater security. “Google Chrome is partly a defensive move as as Microsoft is incorporating functionality in new browsers that may block the collection of ad targeting information,” he adds.
Lehman’s Doug Anmuth writes today that Chrome’s biggest benefit could come on mobile devices if Google bundles Chrome into its Android mobile platform and gains distribution on other devices. “We believe the simplicity and open-source nature of Chrome is well-suited to the mobile environment,” he writes. “Ultimately, we believe Chrome is part of Google’s overall cloud-based computing strategy as the browser morphs to become the platform of the next generation OS.”
Brian Pitz and Brian Fitzgerald, of Bank of America, assert in a note this morning that “this is the right strategy for GOOG as it attempts to further penetrate MSFT’s browser market share and control the user’s starting point to the Web.” They also assert that widespread adoption of the browser could reduce GOOG’s reliance on Mozilla and PC OEMs for distribution of the Google toolbar, lead to reduced traffic acquisition costs. They do note, however, that this puts them in direct competition with Mozilla’s Firefox, on which Google has been the default search engine.
GOOG today is up $14.44, or 3.1%, to $477.73.
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