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Google Chrome for Mac Review

I’ve been using Chrome for Mac for a couple months now, starting with the developer release. Now that the browser is officially in beta, it is more easily accessible by the masses. Just as important, extensions (i.e. plugins) are flourishing for PCs, and will be available for Macs soon. So, I figured I’d give my $0.02 on Chrome.

Reasons to Use Chrome

I’ve never been a big Safari user; I won’t go into why, because I can’t articulate it completely. Likewise, I haven’t spent time getting comfortable with Opera; though I feel I may be missing out there. Essentially my dependence on plugins for analytics and SEO related tasks essentially forces me to use Firefox for most of my “at-work” browsing.  All these plugins have slowed Firefox though, and with it’s core resource needs, it now takes up a large chunk of my MacBook’s RAM. At the same time, Firefox seems more sluggish now, making me less efficient. So when the Chrome developer version became available for Mac, I decided to give it a whirl, knowing that some of the key plugins I use in Firefox would likely become available as extensions for Chrome soon. But I started out just using it for some key sites that I stay logged into all day: Salesforce, Google Analytics, and EasyProjects.net (our current time tracking and project management solution at SwellPath).

First Impressions of Chrome

I had given Chrome a test drive when it came out for PCs in 2008, but I hadn’t spent “intimate” time with the browser. Immediately when I started using Chrome, I felt that it was leaner and faster than Firefox; and it is. Unfortunately, some of the “fat” from Firefox is missed, namely those plugins and the convenience they provide. But otherwise, Chrome fits the bill, especially for these web apps that I just keep open all day.

The Future of Firefox

The future of Firefox, in my universe, isn’t in jeopardy. I’m not going to abandon the application I’ve spent a ridiculously large percentage of my adult life using, but, I am going to continue to use Chrome for many of my daily tasks. Right now, I see Firefox as being my tool for development, analysis, and SEO related needs. Using Firebug, HTTPFox and the SEM related plugins I use seems more natural in Firefox. But I do see Chrome taking over for Gmail (as soon as the Wisestamp extension is available), daily browsing (as soon as Foxmarks, Delicious, and Diigo extensions are available), and general searching. It has been acknowledged that Google is focused on (obsessed even) with speed, and Chrome is a major part of that, and I like that, because speed is necessary in our industry these days. So give Chrome a try if you haven’t already, I think you’ll like what you find.

Tags: Chrome, extensions, Mac