MG Siegler: Now, What About Chrome For iOS?

Still, a Chrome app for iOS would likely be largely what the other browsers available on iOS are: re-skinned versions of Mobile Safari (a wrapped for UIWebView). But that might not be all bad — Mobile Safari still offers a smoother browsing experience when compared to this new Mobile Chrome, as I laid out in my review.

It would be nice to have, but the biggest problem alternate browsers have with iOS is the OS-level integration. Unless your app has its own browser or is directly calling a specific app - and none of Apple’s built-in apps do - links opened anywhere can only be opened in Mobile Safari. Creating home-screen web app icons is also a Safari-only trick. Chrome’s inability to become the default browser will lead to a lot of frustration if it makes it to iOS, whereas Mobile Safari is so interwoven with iOS that it makes Internet Explorer and Windows look like a bitterly divorced couple.