Google Wants to Kill the JPEG

WebP format shrinks file size by 40%
Google Says No More .JPG Files
A Google street view car drives near the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany.   (AP)

Google has unleashed what it hopes will be a JPEG killer: WebP. This new graphics file format reduces file size by 40%, which could mean quicker file transfers and a speedier Web, according to CNET—if Google can convince us to use it. That could be tricky, considering all online image storing sites, cameras, and phones are married to the JPEG format. But the fact that it's building native support for WebP into Chrome could give it an edge.

"Because Google has some very popular Web pages along with a widely used if not dominant browser, the company can make something practical and real out of technology that in another company's hands would be merely academic unless it signed up partners," writes Stephen Shankland for CNET. Read the full article. (More Google stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X