Google launches piggyback browser as war with Microsoft gathers pace

Google has opened a new front in its battle for internet supremacy by launching a stealth attack on Microsoft’s web browser.

The internet search giant has issued a software application that allows computer users to run its Chrome browser inside Microsoft’s Internet Explorer (IE) browser, effectively poaching the software company’s customers.

Google has touted the Google Frame “plug-in” application as a way for users to boost the speed of IE, which, according to critics, loads web pages too slowly, and to help IE to handle more sophisticated web applications.

In retaliation, Microsoft has warned IE users that Google Frame could bring security risks — a claim denied by Google.


The spat is the latest in the continuing browser war between the companies that began a year ago when Google launched its Chrome browser to much fanfare. But the program has made slow progress in terms of market share, with Microsoft’s IE still way out in front.

Technology companies make no money from web browsers — which are free to download — but they are the most important program on most computers, providing the platform for users to surf the web. Companies promote browsers as a branding exercise and as a way of controlling their users’ experience on the internet. For Google, its Chrome browser is also part of a bigger plan to challenge Microsoft’s dominance in the computer software market. The search giant is readying its own web-based operating system, called Chrome OS, to run in direct competition with Microsoft’s Windows franchise. The open-source operating system could be running smaller computers, such as netbooks, as early as the second half of next year.

Eric Schmidt, the Google chief executive, confirmed yesterday that the Chrome browser and Chrome operating system would be linked in the company’s efforts to move consumers away from paid-for software programs such as Microsoft’s Office suite to Google applications hosted on Google’s servers.

Analysts said that Google was having difficulty getting past consumers’ ignorance of what browsers were and their reluctance to switch to anything new.

Sheri McLeish, a Forrester Research analyst, said that the Google Frame tactic was an acknowledgement by Google that it was going to be difficult to shift users away from IE, particularly for business users.

“Google has been very slow to find traditional routes to usurp IE from the desktop. They are starting to take different approaches and I think we will see more of this,” she said.

Google is readying a series of updates to Chrome, along with efforts to forge new distribution partnerships that it hopes will soon make Chrome a much more significant player.

Google recently signed a deal with Sony to install Chrome on certain Sony PCs, allowing it to reach a potentially new pool of users. Similar deals with other big PC manufacturers are expected to be announced soon.

Mr Schmidt said yesterday that the company would soon offer a version of the browser for Apple users.

Meanwhile, Microsoft has sidestepped an investigation by European regulators into the way the company bundles its Internet Explorer browser with the Windows operating system. Competing software makers had complained that PC users did not have a clear way to choose an alternative and the European Commission concluded in January that Microsoft was violating antitrust laws.

Now regulators in Brussels say that they will move forward with a proposal made by Microsoft in July to make it easier for Windows users in Europe to choose different browsers.

Microsoft will show EU users a web page listing several browsers to install along with, or instead of, IE as part of the new Windows 7 operating system from October 22.

Analysts said that the overt choice of browsers was likely to lead to more erosion of Microsoft’s market share.

Browse on

Chrome had 3.2 per cent of the market share in September, up from 2.8 per cent the month before, according to Net Applications, which tracks browser usage through 40,000 websites. Google says that Chrome has 30 million users worldwide.

Internet Explorer slipped from 67 per cent to 65.7 per cent of users. The next most popular browser is Mozilla’s Firefox, with 23.8 per cent, up from 23 per cent. Apple’s Safari rose from 4.1 per cent to 4.2 per cent.