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Google Killing App Launcher on Microsoft’s Windows Platform

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In a move that is hardly surprising, has decided to pull its Chrome app launcher from rival platforms, removing what was ultimately a pointless tool for Windows users.

Google has announced that it is axing its Chrome app launcher on Windows, Mac, and Linux, with the company readily admitting that people are simply not using the tool.

The Chrome app launcher is a button that was place on the Windows taskbar (dock for Linux and Mac users) that would allow Chrome apps to be opened directly from the desktop.

However, Google's latest metrics seem to point out that there was virtually no users opening apps through the launcher.

The company says that users prefer to launch application directly from the Chrome browser, which is probably true, but we also think there is a deeper reason why the Chrome launcher failed.

It was an attempt by Google to “Chromize” rival platforms by adding a feature that was pretty pointless ultimately. Windows, Mac, or Linux users are entrenched in those OS's for one reason or another, so while they may like the Chrome browser, they do not want hits of the Chrome OS over Windows or another platform.

It made little sense as a feature as those who like the Chrome browser can simply launch apps directly in the browser, without the need to go to another location on the system. Needless to say the app launcher will remain on the Chrome OS, where it makes a lot more sense as a feature of that platform.

The removal of the app launcher is the latest axing from Google after the company shuttered the notification center from Windows and other platforms. Mountain View says that users on Windows will be notified of the removal of the app launcher, but if not it will be removed entirely by July at the latest.

SOURCE: Chromium

Luke Jones
Luke Jones
Luke has been writing about all things tech for more than five years. He is following Microsoft closely to bring you the latest news about Windows, Office, Azure, Skype, HoloLens and all the rest of their products.

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