Google releases Chrome 3, looks for market share

Google has unveiled the next version of its browser, Chrome 3 as well as a target to get five per cent market share by next year.

After celebrating its first birthday earlier this month, Google has moved Chrome 3 from the developer channel to the stable release channel, meaning it's ready for users.

Google has claimed Chrome 3 is its fastest yet, coming in 150 per cent faster than the first Chrome beta and 25 per cent faster than Chrome 2.

It's not all about speed, as Chrome has had a makeover, too. The main landing page has been cleaned up, with the nine thumbnails of recently viewed pages cut down to eight and rearranged. They can now be moved to a different position and pinned to a spot, so if a site isn't visited for a few days it won't drop off the page.

The Omnibox Google's word for the search/address bar in Chrome now includes icons, to make it more clear if the text that's coming up is a search, bookmark or previously visited page.

Chrome 3 also adds more HTML5 functionality, including the video tag to let clips play without a plugin.

Time for some market share

Google used the launch to set itself some new targets, too.

"If at the two-year birthday we're not at at least five per cent [market share], I will be exceptionally disappointed. And if at the three year birthday we're not at 10 per cent, I will be exceptionally disappointed," Chrome's engineering director Linus Upson told Reuters.

At the moment, Chrome hovers just a shade under three per cent, according to Net Applications. Google's previously said: "It's important to remember that success for Chrome isn't necessarily about market share."