Sony Vaio: first to come with Google Chrome

[Jagi]

Sony Vaio: first to come with Google Chrome




Google representatives confirmed yesterday that Sony will be bundling the Chrome browser into its Vaio line of notebook computers along with Microsoft's Internet Explorer. This is the browser's first bundling partnership, and follows earlier statements from Google which said that a leading computer manufacturer would ship Chrome.

Sony, however has not made any confirmatory remarks.

In the single year that Chrome has existed, it's garnered a 2.6% share of the global Web browser market thanks to the favorable reviews it has received and its improved performance on platforms such as Windows XP. If Google secures a deal with one of the top five PC manufacturers (HP, Dell, Acer, Lenovo, Toshiba: IDC, July 2009), it could easily push up its market share to third place, behind Firefox, and ahead of both Opera and Safari.

Neither the financial terms of Sony and Google's partnership, nor the global availability of Chrome-equipped Vaios have yet been announced. We've contacted Sony for comment.

 

[Flawless]

with all the other crapware they install on their pc's why is this news?

 

[Jagi]

with all the other crapware they install on their pc's why is this news?

Chrome celebrates early birthday with Sony distribution deal

Google has landed its first OEM, as Sony has agreed to ship Chrome with its Vaio PC line. The deal itself is small, but Google clearly hopes it portends big things to come.




It has been almost a year since Google announced that it was joining in the battle for browser supremacy with its Webkit-based Chrome. In that time, however, Chrome has attracted nothing like the following or public recognition of some of the company's other products. In an attempt to get the ball rolling, Google has cut its first deal with a computer OEM, which will see Chrome appearing on Sony's line of Vaio PCs.

According to reports in the Financial Times and The Wall Street Journal, machines bearing Chrome are already shipping, and may reach consumers shortly. Sony has only a small share of the PC market, so the deal won't make a huge difference on its own, but there can be little doubt that Google hopes it will be the first of many. In that sense, the agreement may be an important validation that will help ease the way for deals with other, more significant OEMs.

Most reports are emphasizing how little traction Chrome has gained in the browser market place. Although it has some excellent security and performance features, most users seem content to stick with the default browsers on their platforms of choice (mostly Internet Explorer and Safari). If they venture from the fold, it's to download Firefox. As a result, a variety of marketshare figures suggest that Chrome is languishing in the two-to-three percent range of browser usage (on Ars, it's between 6 and 7 percent); in contrast, the FT notes that Firefox had picked up eight percent of the browser market after its first year.

Of course, Firefox debuted at a time where browser development had largely stagnated, and helped usher in a period where the major competitors appear to be racing each other for performance and standard compliance milestones. It's thanks to that project's popularity that Chrome has faced an uphill battle when it comes to marketshare.

But that's not the only reason that Chrome hasn't grabbed a significant marketshare. Google's brand, which consumers associate with search, maps, and a free e-mail service, hasn't necessarily helped it with consumers when it comes to other markets, like online applications. For a variety of reasons, the general populace isn't necessarily associating Chrome with the loyalty they have about searching with Google.

Chrome also seems to be an effort to ensure that some of Google's online apps have a browser on which they're guaranteed to perform well, which makes it a solution in search of a problem: not a lot of consumers are using Google apps beyond calendar and mail, and those perform quite well in nearly every browser.

If Google can get Chrome onto computers from more OEMs—something this Sony deal might facilitate—it will undoubtedly help raise its public profile. The development that's more likely to improve awareness of Chrome is the browser ballot that may soon be appearing on PCs sold in the European Union. The EU's populace has already demonstrated that it's willing to try options beyond IE, and the ballot will necessarily make the public aware that Chrome is an option.

 

[UltimateLurker]