Who needs Google Chrome – besides Google?
September 3, 2008 by Phil Barron · Post a comment ⋅
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Zeldman: A commenter said it best: Google Chrome is a solution looking for a problem.
The problem is there: Google’s glorious marketing mine is imperfect.
Consider this: the so-called Omnibar is the only feature in Chrome that I can find that is different from what IE and Firefox already have.
What does this Omnibar do? It is both search bar and address bar. What does Google gain from this?
Well, before they only knew what you searched for when you searched in their search bar. Now they can know what you search for AND where you go when you type a URL directly into the address bar.
Better consumer profile = better marketing data = more money.
Better consumer profile = better marketing data = more money.
True dat. I don’t recall from the comment thread at Zeldman’s whether it was you or someone else who brought up the idea of even closer tracking through Chrome, but the notion stopped me short. Not that I was a likely Chrome candidate – I use PCs at work but home is an Apple-only shop, and Macs often come last when it comes to product rollout – but the idea that this new browser might help Google tighten its grip on my digital life only makes me like Firefox more.