[jgeorge]

It seems odd to me that so many blogs are commenting that Chrome being the #1 iOS download today is some kind of global indication of the need to open iOS to Android-like levels of user customization.

Not wanting nor willing to get into the merits of that idea overall, but doesn't it strike anyone other than me as obvious that it's the #1 app for iOS today because it came out yesterday with much fanfare, it's free, and it's something most everyone is aware of and would want to play with?

An unofficial poll here in my office shows that everyone who downloaded it here did so to, in so many words, "play with it and see what it's like", though nobody yet has stated that they intend to replace their browser use with it.

While it's nice that you can get as much of the Google ecosystem on your iOS device as you can, I'm really not sure that the availability of that ecosystem on iOS is any sort of indication of the necessity of opening up iOS to embrace that ecosystem.

In other words, "If you want Android, you know where to find it."

[jharrier]

I think that the popularity of Chrome and the usage problems that occur because it can't be set to default have merely started the conversation. It isn't just Google apps. Sparrow, for example, is a top notch email client. It's tough to use exclusively because many of the email features embedded within iOS point to the Mail app instead. As third-party applications continue to increase in quality and functionality over the stock apps, users will likely prefer to change default apps. Apple's job is to make users happy.

[mtgx]

Being able to set other apps as default is just common sense. It doesn't mean it has to be "like Android".

[jgeorge]

Like I said, not really trying to stir that discussion. I didn't say it wasn't common sense, but the jist of several blog posts I've seen today all seem to imply the same thing as the one here - that the popularity of Chrome for iOS is some kind of watershed moment, when it just seems to me the popularity is more likely because... Chrome's a really popular app and iOS users tend to jump all over newly released functional apps that are free.