Reader mode exists on Chrome for Android, so this is most likely a feature that mainline Chrome hasn't gotten around to rather than some nefarious plan :)
Safari 5 introduced Reader. It damn near predates Chrome itself.
I think Google would have gotten around to it by now if they were going to, considering the other giant epics they’ve launched in the browser since then.
I think Google would have gotten around to it by now if they were going to, considering the other giant epics they’ve launched in the browser since then.