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Chronicles

The story behind the story

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Here comes Yahoo's own Web browser — Axis

Axis —  Yahoo is announcing tonight that it's getting into the browser business with its new Axis browser.  There are versions for iPad and iPhone, and plug-ins for the desktop browsers Chrome, Firefox, IE, and Safari.

CNET Rafe Needleman

Context & Ripple Effects

Yahoo had already experimented with making the browser a richer application layer through BrowserPlus and later focused on an iPhone-optimized, syncing mobile experience. Axis extends that arc across iOS and the major desktop browsers rather than requiring Yahoo to own a desktop browser outright.

The broad same-day pickup frames Axis as an attempt to make Yahoo’s web experience more visual and bookmark-aware, placing the company’s services at the point where users navigate the web.

First-order effects

  • iPad and iPhone users gain a Yahoo browsing app, while Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer and Safari users can add Axis without leaving their existing desktop browser.
  • Yahoo gains a direct interface for presenting its web experience across Apple’s mobile devices and rival desktop browsers.

Second-order effects

  • Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer and Safari remain the host browsers, but their users can encounter Yahoo through an add-on layer rather than by choosing Yahoo as a standalone browser.
  • Yahoo’s plug-in approach lowers the distribution barrier for a cross-device browsing service: bookmarks and navigation can become the product surface instead of the underlying browser engine.

Third-order effects

  • If browser extensions and mobile companions become durable distribution channels, web companies can compete for navigation and user attention without building or displacing a full desktop browser.
  • Axis points toward the browser becoming an agent runtime for services that sit above the rendering engine, continuing the direction of Yahoo’s earlier browser-to-desktop integration work.

The trend: Web services are seeking cross-device control of navigation and user context through mobile apps and browser add-ons rather than through standalone browser ownership.

Related: Browser as agent runtime · Axis · Yahoo · Yahoo! BrowserPlus: The rumour is true · Yahoo Mobile site gets iPhone overhaul, syncing

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