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Google Chrome Spells Doom for Apple

Look to browser wars for lesson in path to niche irrelevance

By Kevin Spak, Newser Staff

Posted May 4, 2010 1:09 PM CDT

(Newser) – Apple doesn't seem to realize it, but its new hardware-software gadget strategy is a road right back to the irrelevancy it so recently crawled out of, argues Henry Blodget of Business Insider. As before, Apple will prevail only in the small, premium market, muscled out by a more ubiquitous standard. Last time it was Windows. This time, it'll be Google's Android and Chrome.

Sure, Apple has a big lead. But look what's happened in the browser space. Google's Chrome browser has grown from 0% of the market to 7% in 20 months, while Safari has inched from 3% to 5%, despite backing from Apple's much-hyped gadgets. “Extrapolate those trends for a few more years," Blodget writes, "and Apple will be left with the same thing it was eventually left with in the PC market: a niche.”

In this Sept. 2, 2008, file photo show the logo for the Google Chrome Web browser during a news conference at Google Inc. headquarters in Mountain View, Calif. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, file)

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COMMENTS

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Showing 3 of 26 comments

zaglossus

May 5, 2010 3:30 PM CDT

Apple's importance is blown way out of proportion by the media. It will always be a minority product.

SC23

May 4, 2010 11:27 PM CDT

I am a web developer so I have to look at all browsers whether I like it or not. I used chrome primarily for a while but Ad-block always bring me back to firefox. That and some developer tool extenions. TBH, IE is not that bad any more, they are catching up with their me too philosophy but ya, FF+extensions wins for power-users.

Ma'at

May 4, 2010 10:45 PM CDT

While I MUCH prefer Apple over Windows, by leaps and bounds, this is essentially correct. The nature of Apple's products limit their market share. Nothing wrong with that, I love their products, but that certainly seems to be the way of things.

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Google Chrome Spells Doom for Apple

Look to browser wars for lesson in path to niche irrelevance

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