Google Chrome releases 1.0; no longer in beta

Google's new web browser, first unveiled just three months ago, has come out of beta. Google Chrome 1.0 is now available for download for the Windows platform. Linux and Mac versions are still being worked on at this point, though no timetable for release has been set for either of these platforms.

Of course, what got everyone talking is not so much the 1.0 release as the removal of its beta moniker. In a phone interview with InformationWeek, Brian Rakowski, product manager for Google Chrome, says, "The main point of this is that it's a rock-solid product that's ready for anybody to use, not just early adopters."

In a way, the 1.0 designation is meaningless from a feature standpoint, or if you listen to what Rakowski is saying. The feel is that the Chrome development team is putting massive efforts to release new features very quickly, with many new features planned or already coming down the pipe.

Although Chrome accounted for just 0.83 percent of the market share last month, this represents an increase from 0.74 percent in October--which was, of course, zero before September this year. While it can be argued that the "beta" or "pre-1.0" release status kept users away, that should no longer be the case. We will have to wait a couple of months to know for sure though. It will also be interesting to see if Chrome adoption spikes in the enterprise. In the meantime, do check out our earlier report about the drop of Internet Explorer's market share.

To read more about this story:
- check out this article at Ars Technica
- check out this article at InformationWeek

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