Will iOS users dump Safari for Chrome?

That's really my question for iPad and iPhone users. Today Google released Chrome for iOS. Will you dump Safari for Chrome? I would. But can't. I boycotted Apple earlier this month because of its patent bullying, which later succeeded in blocking Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 imports. What madness!

In May, I claimed that I would use iPad if Chrome was available. Well, the browser is here and I won't, mainly because of the boycott. But also because I'm mad. To receive holy admittance into the Apple App Store shrine, Google sacrificed a lamb and prostrated before the great iOS idol. Chrome and Safari may both be based on WebKit, but Google's browser actually uses a different rendering engine. Well, not on iOS.

Chrome for iOS uses Apple's slower UIWebView, which puts Chrome on uneven footing, since Safari is default browser no matter what. That's not by choice, but Apple requirement.

Still, Chrome marks an important beachhead on iOS, and it's not alone. Google also released Google Drive for the platform today. In tandem, combined with Gmail, Google+ and YouTube, Chrome and Drive fill out a compliment of Web services competing with Apple's. Move over iCloud.

Seamless sync across devices is Chrome's big kick-butt feature. I've said for years that synchronization is the killer app for the connected age. Google gets it and delivers, and better than Apple. But is that enough to woo you away? Again, that's my question for you.

BetaNews reader Dennis Remillard says it "will be nice to have more Google apps on my iPad".

smarterthanuare: "This is what makes Android better than the iPhone...the fact that you can install whatever legitimate app you want on Android without rooting your phone".

We all know about Apple's App Store restrictions.

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