Google has made its popular Chrome web browser available for the iOS devices, and today Chrome is the most popular download in Apple’s app store. Chrome has long been available for Apple’s Mac computers, and of course for PCs, and the iOS version will allow users to import their settings and bookmarks.
However, Google Chrome suffers from the same limitation that hinders all third-party applications on iOS. Apple does not share its Nitro rendering engine with developers; instead outside apps use an engine called UIWebView to display web pages. This creates a noticeably slower browsing experience, according to users who have tested Chrome on iOS.
Today the Chrome page on Apple’s iTunes store was filled with user complaints about the browser’s speed. Comments ranged from “just a stupid webview with bookmark sync,” to “Runs 3.5 times slower doing JavaScript than safari thanks to the lack of nitro.”
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