It has been about 24 hours Chrome was launched and already there is quite a buzz around the new beta of Google. Several experts have scrutinized the first release of the browser and there is a lot of enthusiasm… and also critique.
The reports on the speed of Chrome seem to vary. There are reviews that report Chrome to be quite a bit slower than Firefox 3 or Safari in loading pages. This have not be my findings as of yet.
The lack of features on Chrome is also a topic of discussion. Especially the absence of an integrated RSS-reader causes some nostrils to flare. This seems to be the primary reason why a lot of reviewers tend to put their money on IE8 or FF 3.1. Google will however add on features as Chrome is being further developed.
The first dents in Chrome have also been identified. Cold 24 hours after the release of chrome an exploit was discovered that would lead Chrome to crash with a special constructed link. Another bug makes it possible to install spyware on a victims computer.
Another issue, non-technical of nature is the EULA of Chrome. Apparently Google has used a very generic EULA for Chrome that led to some major privacy concerns. Google has already commented on this, stating that they are editing the EULA to better fit the product.
Is Chrome really that bad than? No. All of these reports are simply the result of a beta-product which was torpedoed onto the world by Google. Google means to roll high eyes with their browser and as a result get a lot of attention and scrutiny on a product that is not finished yet.
They are criticized by some for pushing an unfinished product to the masses. This is risky, but I think mostly for Google, since they can lose serious face if Chrome for some reason would lose grace with the general public in the early stages of development. If Murphy rears his ugly head Chrome could be a product/project cut short.
For better or for worse, Google already achieved one of their goals: after launch they apparently have achieved a 1 percent share in the browser market, surpassing a competitive Opera and a dying Netscape.