Has anyone else noticed the recent increased push of Google Chrome? Recently Google added a banner ad to their homepage. Chrome’s banner owns a piece of real-estate on the homepage of YouTube.com. And it’s impossible to ignore Chrome image ads that are plastered all over Google’s display ad network sites.
Unless I’m just noticing this, the aggressiveness of Google Chrome advertising has exploded in recent weeks.
If Chrome is able to grow market share to any significant ratio, where will it come from? It won’t come from Safari. It won’t come from IE 7 or 8 because those who use IE only use it by default.
In my opinion, Chrome’s market share will have to be taken away from Firefox. Safari users are too loyal and IE users simply don’t know better.
Should Mozilla feel threatened by Google’s recent moves with Chrome?
In 2006 Google revenue support accounted for 85% of Mozilla’s total revenue. Back then, Mozilla CEO John Lilly was quoted as saying, “We’re very, very happy about our relationship with Google and this makes sure that Mozilla will be sustainable and thrive for quite a long time to come”.
John Lilly’s comment in addition to Google financial support suggests that Mozilla is largely reliant on their current relationship with Google. However, in 2007, Mitchell Baker (Chairwomen of the Mozilla Foundation) was quoted on ComputerWorld.com as saying, “We’ve spent a lot of time and energy making sure that Google understands that it cannot turn us into an arm of Google,” and “We have a rainy day fund just for that reason. With that, we feel we can pay the mortgage for some period of time if we had to walk away.”
Baker’s comments came well before the most recent three year deal. Perhaps Google saw that as motivation to become serious about developing its own browser. I’m sure I’d have a difficult time convincing anyone that the timing of Google Chrome’s release was a coincidence.
Chrome beta was released on September 2, 2008, just five days after Mozilla signed the three-year search deal on August 28th, 2008.
If Google Chrome gains traction, Mozilla has just over two and a half years to find an alternative revenue stream. Google is making moves to take Firefox’s market share and replace the traffic to Google.com that Firefox currently provides.
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Interestingly it is firefox AND chrome that are continuing to grow market share, and it is IE that is losing out.
http://gs.statcounter.com/#browser-ww-weekly-200827-200912
But it is firefox that has grown the most since the start of this year.
Firefox have had very tough competition from the microsoft monopoly, I don’t think Google pose as much of a threat as microsoft once did.
“In my opinion, Chrome’s market share will have to be taken away from Firefox. Safari users are too loyal and IE users simply don’t know better.”
Not at all.
Firefox gains users from IE. The same way Chrome can do it.
I know Google makes good products but winning the browser wars is just not good for users. When they do Google will monopolize everything. I agree with Igor, IE users will transfer to either Chrome just like Firefox gained their users, unless IE8 does a better job.
Google still has ads?
I’ll address each of your comments in order:
Aodhan Cullen,
“Interestingly it is firefox AND chrome that are continuing to grow market share, and it is IE that is losing out. But it is firefox that has grown the most since the start of this year.”
I absolutely agree with you. Firefox has done a great job pulling market share away from Microsoft, and is continuing to so far in 2009.
“Firefox have had very tough competition from the microsoft monopoly, I don’t think Google pose as much of a threat as microsoft once did.”
Chrome is now in the same position as Firefox once was a new comer to the market with two dominant competitors. No one knows for sure yet, but Google is no more at a disadvantage than Firefox was. In fact, since Google is a household name now I’ll suggest that Google has a slight advantage.
Igor,
“Firefox gains users from IE. The same way Chrome can do it.”
I don’t totally disagree. However, in the long run the non-Microsoft browsers will most likely hit a market share ceiling. I’m not sure when exactly that will be, but once that happens they’ll be competing much more amongst themselves. Unless of course Microsoft dumps IE after IE8 on Windows 7 as recent rumors suggest.
http://www.techspot.com/news/33864-ie8-to-be-the-last-ieengine-based-microsoft-browser.html
Ear Rings,
“I know Google makes good products but winning the browser wars is just not good for users. When they do Google will monopolize everything.”
A little paranoid are we? Just kidding. You’re not the only one who feels this way. I think the new competition is a good thing, and I use Firefox. Google’s certainly enjoying their dominance right now, but keep in mind that this dominance is most likely cyclic. It certainly was in Microsoft’s case.
“I agree with Igor, IE users will transfer to either Chrome just like Firefox gained their users, unless IE8 does a better job.”
As I commented above in this reply, the non-Microsoft browsers will hit a market share ceiling at some point. It will get very interesting if IE 8 is truly the last version of IE put out by Microsoft.