Google Chrome marks 10th birthday with new look, new tricks

Yes, it's almost hard to believe that Chrome is both just 10 years old and already 10 years old at the same time. The browser has significantly changed how users experience the web and has even influenced other browsers, from tabs that don't crash the entire browser to an address bar that does almost everything. It's far from perfect, of course, and the Chrome development team knows it. So for its 10th anniversary, Google Chrome is getting not just a makeover but a few new skills as well.

This redesign isn't exactly surprising. Google has already gotten the Material Design 2 ball rolling on its other apps and services so it was only a matter of time before Chrome got its cleaner and more rounded theme. But more than just a new look, the new design also serves a functional purpose. The new tab design, for example, makes it easier to see sites' icons. On iOS (but strangely not on Android), the toolbar has been moved to the bottom for easier reach.

The Omnibar, Google's term for the address bar turned search bar, is learning some new tricks too. Rather than wait for a page to load to answer a simple question, it will show you weather and factoids right then and there in the list of results. No clicking needed. Searching for a tab you've lost under dozens of other tabs? Just type the website and the Omnibar will tell if you already have that tab open and offer to take you there. In the near future, you will even be able to search your Google Drive without loading Google Drive.

Humans are terrible at passwords, which is why businesses and services like password managers exist and thrive. But why bother with those when you can Google (privacy concerns aside). More than just a place to stash your (probably weak) passwords, Chrome's password manager will offer to generate a strong password for you. And, of course, it'll remember it for you, too.

In the end, web browsing is a very personal activity and your web browser is as much an extension of you as your smartphone is. You can take personalization to a new level in the latest Chrome by customizing the background of new blank tabs you open and adding your own shortcut to your favorite websites.

And that's just for the birthday party today. Google VP for Product Management Rahul Roy-Chowdhury shares the things they are cooking up in the Chrome kitchen. AR is going to play a large role in the future of computing, so, naturally, Chrome will be there, too, allowing you to see if that new couch you were browsing will fit with the rest of your living room decor. You can also expect Chrome to get even more AI skills that hopefully won't sound too privacy-invasive.

Chrome has definitely come a long way from being just Google's web browser to being the web browser to beat (even, daresay, on macOS). It definitely hasn't been smooth-sailing and Chrome still has a lot to do to satisfy many naysayers and critics. For now, though, enjoy the cake (it's not a lie!) and here's to 10 more years! Presuming web browsers are still a thing by then.