Google updates Chrome app for iOS 6, makes it friendly with the iPhone 5
Over the next few weeks, we can surely expect iOS developers from all over the globe to start pushing out updates to make their applications better interact with Apple's iOS 6 and that all-new screen found on the iPhone 5.
Context & Ripple Effects
Google entered iOS browser distribution with its June Chrome launch for iPhone and iPad and then gave developers a way to send iOS app links into Chrome. The compatibility release keeps that integration intact as Apple’s new software and hardware transition reaches users.
Apple’s App Store was also processing submissions unusually quickly as it prepared for the iPhone 5, reducing the practical delay for developers adapting existing apps to the new display.
First-order effects
- Chrome users moving to iOS 6 or the iPhone 5 can continue using Google’s browser without a compatibility gap.
- Google retains Chrome’s iOS foothold at the point when Apple’s new phone expands the addressable device base.
Second-order effects
- Developers that configured links to open in Chrome have reason to maintain their own iOS 6 and iPhone 5 compatibility, since the browser integration depends on both sides updating.
- Apple’s accelerated review processing makes iOS compatibility work a faster competitive response for browser and app developers, rather than a prolonged release-cycle constraint.
Third-order effects
- iOS platform changes concentrate control with Apple over third-party distribution and review timing, while services such as Chrome must continuously fund compatibility work to preserve access to iPhone users.
- If Chrome’s app-link integration gains developer support, browser competition on iOS shifts beyond rendering features toward control of the paths that move users between apps and the web.
The trend: Mobile browser competition is becoming an ecosystem-integration contest, with platform updates and app-link behavior shaping who can retain users on iOS.