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Public version of Google Chrome for Mac will go exclusively 64-bit in November

Last month Google released a 64-bit version of the Chrome browser for OS X on its developer channel. However, this version of the app has not yet been made available to the general public. Google announced today in a blog post (via iMore) that the browser would be updated in version 39 not only to add 64-bit support, but to remove 32-bit support.

That means that any 32-bit plugins built on the Netscape Plugin API will no longer function until they are updated for 64-bit systems. This update will be released in November, though an exact release date hasn’t been given yet. Because Chrome uses a silent auto-update mechanism, users won’t have to do anything special to get the update.

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Comments

  1. Avenged110 - 10 years ago

    Unless you disable the auto updates because auto updates are annoying

  2. nicolas.onstott - 10 years ago

    Ok…

    Sent from my iPod 📤

    Nicolas ®

  3. mpias3785 - 10 years ago

    I’m wary of using Chrome since Google is such a data leach. Am I justified in my mistrust or am I just being paranoid?

    • Elias Sørensen - 10 years ago

      You could use Chromium? That’s the open source project behind Google Chrome. Sourcecode is open, so you know what’s in the browser. Furthermore, you can disable much of the data exchange with Google :-)

      I would say that Chromium and Firefox are among the safest browsers you can use, privacy-wise.

  4. Use Safari. The best browser on Mac OS ever ;)

    • dcj001 - 10 years ago

      It is also the best browser for Windows ever.

      • mpias3785 - 10 years ago

        Apple hasn’t updated Safari for Windows since 2012.

      • Avenged110 - 10 years ago

        Exactly ;)

  5. mpias3785 - 10 years ago

    Thanks all,

    I’ve used Safari since day one, but a secondary browser occasionally comes in handy. Since so many people like Chrome, I’ve been thinking about giving it a shot, but the Googleness of it just creeps me out.

    • PMZanetti - 10 years ago

      Don’t use Chrome. If you ever need an “alternate” web browser to Safari, Firefox is a better choice, as its distinctly different.

      • I agree, Firefox is much better as an alternate browser than Chrome. For me, Chrome is even slower than Firefox (of course, the fastest one is Safari all the way), plus it’s all googleness spying things and everything which makes it even bigger no no.

      • Avenged110 - 10 years ago

        Personally, I hate google’s data leeching as much as the next Mac user but I keep chrome around as a secondary browser just for the sandboxed flash plugin. Flash is shit, but my school is retarded and constantly requires us to use flash-based sites. I refuse to install flash so this is the next best option.

      • johnmfoley (@johnmfoley) - 10 years ago

        Right to clarify a bit Safari and Chrome are both built on WebKit so if you have a problem with a website not working correctly in one browser, there’s a decent chance it won’t work in the other. Since FireFox is not built on WebKit there’s a better chance a website will work correctly in it if it does not in Chrome/Safari

  6. standardpull - 10 years ago

    When I want to use an alternative, I use Firefox.

    Unlike Chrome, I trust Firefox a lot. It is highly tunable around Privacy and has a plethora of trustworthy plugins. Chrome is a privacy sieve.

    Chrome is very very difficult to adjust it so it doesn’t phone home, giving up data about your device. It is also hard to adjust to minimize tracking assets stored inside the browser and transmitted to advertisers and marketers.

    Chrome is a mess.

  7. I will consider changing from Safari to Chrome if it will feature a slight redesign for Yosemite. Right now Chrome looks horrible for Yosemite (For my taste). It would also be great if it featured a Dark Mode version

    • terminalcode2014 - 10 years ago

      If you want to change the way Chrome looks just download a theme from the Chrome web store.
      On my Mac I have Safari, Chrome, and Firefox. I prefer Safari but some of the stuff I have to do for school requires Firefox or Chrome.

      • standardpull - 10 years ago

        It is very odd for any system or service to not fully support all modern, standards based browsers (namely: IE, Firefox, Safari, Chrome, Opera). When a system doesn’t work properly with all these browsers it usually means that the web service is either (1) grossly outdated, or (2) an amateur effort by non-professionals.

        In all cases, a web service that does not work properly with ALL of the above browsers generally cannot pass accessibility tests, making them inappropriate for use within a school.

      • terminalcode2014 - 10 years ago

        The reason I have to have Firefox and Chrome for school is because some of the course I have to take are online and I can confirm the website that the courses I take online poorly operates in Safari and just doesn’t want to do anything. The website says use Firefox for best results and Its painfully slow on Firefox and some things still don’t work. Then when I try Chrome the things that don’t want to work in Firefox start working but anything that did work in Firefox doesn’t want to work in Chrome. The worst part of the website is that any course you have to take in line is on that website because it’s the state wide online course website. The website itself even looks like on of those do it yourself website builders. I say my state needs to hire a better website building company.
        The other big downfall of the website is that if you decide to do the class in the computer lab on campus the school has windows computers and the website has almost zero support for any windows products. To communicate with the teachers and any classmates for instruction and projects you have to sign up for a third party messaging client.
        Long in short the websites a mess and makes almost makes me regret taking the courses I am. And the website support team is a mess to, all they can do is tell you what parts of the website are not working for which web browsers or operating systems. They can never tell you what’s causing the problem or when it’s going to be fixed (all problems I have seen are yet to be fixed). Even the teacher for the courses complain about how the website works and how nothing is being done to fix it. So all I can do is hope what I am using works.

  8. Bruno Fernandes (@Linkb8) - 10 years ago

    I’m still not sure why anyone would use a browser maintained and marketed by an advertising company. Especially when it’s just built on the engine that Apple has always used in Safari.

  9. puri517 - 10 years ago

    I think that Chrome is a best choice for PC world. If you already have a Mac, you have really best browsers ever – Safari!

    Somehow Apple again did a great job here and the Safari really easy to use (especially v8 on the Yosemite). When you used to use Safari – all other browsers looks poor.

  10. Howie Isaacks - 10 years ago

    It should have been 64bit a long time ago.

  11. Mark Bolick - 10 years ago

    I use Chrome exclusively for any holdout sites that still insist on using Flash. I don’t have Flash installed on my systems but it is built into Chrome so I can still have access to anything that still needs Flash without bogging down my system installing it.

    • mpias3785 - 10 years ago

      I was a big Flash hater for a long time, but Adobe has done a very good job squashing the bugs, When once it was the main (and I’m talking No.1) cause of Safari problems, it hasn’t caused me a single problem in a couple years. It’s probably still a processor hog, but they’ve finally got it out of beta.

      • standardpull - 10 years ago

        Good point! There hasn’t been a critical security update since the one that impacted Chrome, MS-Windows and the Mac way over a month ago. critical flaw free since August 12th, 2014!

        Flash is way better than it used to be. And Chrome is safe too. All since August 12th, as far as we know.

  12. Christopher - 10 years ago

    I actually have grown to really like Chrome. I started using it a lot more when I was in an office of PC users. I like the profile system and the interchange between different computers. Despite them both being built on WebKit, many things just perform better in Chrome (or at all). Safari continues to hang-up my whole computer when it encounters things it doesn’t like. Firefox, I hate the UI. Hate how slow it is. But I’ve never liked it. I seem to be in the minority here. But since I’m fully embedded in the Google system from Gmail, Calendar, Docs, and Drive. What’s more data point?

    • vkd108 - 10 years ago

      You need an Opera-tion. Free your computer and your mind will follow. The kingdom of heaven is within (to paraphrase).

  13. vkd108 - 10 years ago

    Install Opera. Why put this google vomit, which will doubtlessly be rigged with unlimited disguised data-mining and spying technology. If you trust google – and increasingly apple – then i humbly submit that you need your brain looking at.

  14. Zachary Stauber - 9 years ago

    For Mac? WTH? Windows machines have been 64-bit since 2003. IE has had 64-bit for 4+ years now. Maybe Chrome and FF should pay attention.