Google Confirms It's Working on Chrome for Windows 8
Google says it's working on a version of Chrome that will run in the Metro environment of Windows 8. The news follows the revelation that Mozilla is building Firefox for Metro as well. — A Google spokesperson told Mashable …
Context & Ripple Effects
Microsoft opened the door first: per The Verge's March 12 report, the company will let third-party web browsers run inside the Metro environment of Windows 8 rather than reserving it for Internet Explorer, a reversal of its earlier stance. Mozilla moved within days, with developer Brian R. Bondy announcing work on a Metro Firefox had begun on March 9 — coverage echoed across PC World, VentureBeat, Engadget and others shows how closely the browser vendors' Windows 8 plans are being watched.
Google's confirmation, via a spokesperson to Mashable, closes the gap: both of the top two alternatives to IE are now officially building Metro versions, meaning Microsoft's own browser will face real competition in the touch-first interface from day one rather than enjoying the de facto monopoly it held in the desktop-era status quo.
First-order effects
- Windows 8 testers get a three-way browser race inside Metro instead of an Internet Explorer default, with Google and Mozilla each committing engineering resources to a second, touch-oriented build alongside their existing desktop versions.
Second-order effects
- Microsoft's rationale for opening Metro to rivals is now pressure-tested: if Chrome and Firefox ship credible Metro builds, the quality of IE's touch experience — not lock-in — has to carry its share, and Microsoft must decide how prominently to surface defaults and choice screens in a UI built around full-screen apps.
Third-order effects
- If Metro succeeds as Windows 8's primary interface, browser competition shifts wholesale onto Microsoft's terms: access depends on Microsoft's API and app-review choices, making the platform gatekeeper — not just the browser vendor — the structural arbiter of the market.
The trend: Browser makers are racing to rebuild their products for Windows 8's Metro environment, turning a Microsoft-controlled interface into the next front of the browser wars.