Final Release Of Google's Chrome Ready For Prime Time?Final Release Of Google's Chrome Ready For Prime Time?

In a recent interview, Google VP Marissa Mayer commented that the company's Chrome browser will be exiting beta status and be offered as a 1.0 release. What say ye, Chrome users, is it good enough?I have been using Chrome on my Windows machine intermittently over the past two months. In general I like it, but am still waiting for Google to roll out a version for Apple OS. The Windows beta version has been around for about three months and already has seen a few updates. Speaking to TechCrunch's Michael Arrington at Le Web 08 in Paris, Mayer spilled the beans that a 1.0 release of Chrome is on the way, though she didn't say how soon it would be available.

Google has really been ramping up the capabilities of its platforms lately, especially products such as Gmail. Google recently added a Gmail gadget to its desktop program for Windows, Google added video chatting capabilities to GChat, and is still working to bring IM-based SMS to GChat. Yesterday, Google announced a new open Native Client that could be tied into how Chrome works and matched with products such as Gmail.

What's interesting is that many of Google's products are still in "beta" even though they are widely used by millions. Gmail, for example, has been in beta since day one and has spread to use at schools and even at enterprises. According to TechCrunch, the reason Chrome is going to hit 1.0 before other products is that there are a number of hardware manufacturers that want to include the Chrome browser on their hardware, but can't because of the beta status of Chrome.

Most of the comments left on the article written by TechCrunch are requests for an Apple-compatible version of Chrome. While I am excited to see Chrome reach a 1.0 status for the Windows platform, I second the notion that Google needs to step up its support for Mac with Chrome.

Of course, the real question is, would your business officially support Chrome if it goes 1.0?