There were four major benefits that were immediately appealing to users: 1. Significantly faster Javascript execution engine (V8) than MSIE and Firefox 2. Process isolation model improved security posture 3. Multi-platform compatibility (Windows/Mac/Linux) very soon after launch 4. Improved usability: browser history search, autocomplete in address bar, etc. Here's the original announcement (featuring Sundar Pichai, then VP of Product, now CEO): [this video]
Original Chrome announcement featuring Sundar Pichai
> The difference between Firefox and IE was orders of magnitude larger than the difference between Chrome and Firefox I don't think so. When Chrome came out it was much better than competition too[1]. I don't know if Firefox was that much better than Internet Explorer. It is also possible that Chrome rode the wave of Firefox i.e, Firefox got people thinking about improved browsing experience by switching from Internet Explorer. Then Chrome came along and picked up many new users who may have otherwise gotten picked up by Firefox. [1] [this video]
Shows Chrome launch was much better than competitors
Yay! That's the one that arrived in Germany a day early ( [link] ) P.S - I wonder is Sundar figured out how "shipping works at Google" yet.. ( [this video] )
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