The Company Behind Arc Is Now Building a Second, Much Simpler Browser (theverge.com) 12
The Browser Company is developing a new, much simpler browser distinct from Arc, which has proven too complex for mainstream adoption despite a strong following among power users. The Verge's David Pierce reports: Arc is not dying, [says CEO Josh Miller]. He says that over and over, in fact, even after I tell him the YouTube video the company just released sounds like the thing companies say right before they kill a product. It's just that Arc won't change much anymore. It'll get stability updates and bug fixes, and there's a team at The Browser Company dedicated to those. "In that sense," Miller says, "it feels like a complete-ish product." Most of the team's energy and time will now be dedicated to starting from scratch. "Arc was basically this front-end, tab management innovation," Miller says. "People loved it. It grew like a weed. Then it started getting slow and started crashing a lot, and we felt bad, and we had to learn how to make it fast. And we kind of lost sight, in some ways, of the fact that we've got to do the operating system part."
The plan this time is to build not just a different interface for a browser, but a different kind of browser entirely -- one that is much more proactive, more powerful, more AI-centric, more in line with that original vision. Call it the iPhone of web browsers, or the "internet computer," or whatever other metaphor you like. The idea is to turn the browser into an app platform. Miller still wants to do it, and he wants to do it for everyone. What does that look like? Miller is a bit vague on the details. The new browser, which Miller intimates could launch as soon as the beginning of next year, is designed to come with no switching costs, which means among other things that it will have horizontal tabs and fewer ideas about organization. The idea is to "make the first 90 seconds effortless" in order to get more people to switch. And then, slowly, to reveal what this new browser can do.
The plan this time is to build not just a different interface for a browser, but a different kind of browser entirely -- one that is much more proactive, more powerful, more AI-centric, more in line with that original vision. Call it the iPhone of web browsers, or the "internet computer," or whatever other metaphor you like. The idea is to turn the browser into an app platform. Miller still wants to do it, and he wants to do it for everyone. What does that look like? Miller is a bit vague on the details. The new browser, which Miller intimates could launch as soon as the beginning of next year, is designed to come with no switching costs, which means among other things that it will have horizontal tabs and fewer ideas about organization. The idea is to "make the first 90 seconds effortless" in order to get more people to switch. And then, slowly, to reveal what this new browser can do.
Bring back Firefox 1.0 (Score:2)
a different kind of browser entirely (Score:2)
a different kind of browser entirely -- one that is much ...
=> more proactive - Huh?
=> more powerful - Okay.
=> more AI-centric - Hell no.
=> Call it the iPhone of web browsers - Nope.
=> or the "internet computer," - Nope.
=> The idea is to turn the browser into an app platform. - Seriously, no.
Re: (Score:3)
Re: a different kind of browser entirely (Score:2)
Uh-oh CEO speak ahead (Score:2)
Arc CEO Josh Miller, The plan this time is to build not just a different interface for a browser, but a different kind of browser entirely
Ok, sounds good
more proactive, more powerful
Yes!!...
more AI-centric
Ye...wait, what?
Call it the iPhone of web browsers
Oh...good lord.
the idea is to turn the browser into an app
hahahaha, pack it up, it's time to go home.
Seems a little snobby. (Score:2)
From the Arc FAQ [arc.net] page:
Q: What makes Arc different from other browsers?
A: In other words, Arc is to your ex-browser what the iPhone was to cellphones. Or as one of our members said “like moving from a PC to a Mac.” It’s from the future — and just feels great.
Hey, I *like* my Pixel 5a and PCs -- especially the one running Linux Mint 22 Cinnamon -- and the Windows 10 system is fine for what I use it for and they're certainly a LOT less expensive than a Mac, or iPhone.
Expensive way of learning GIGO (Score:2)
In the end, he describes effectively a Chromebook, and it's not as if those are selling at any rate that could be called enviable or desirable.
There are A LOT of good ideas out there, and, increasingly, it's innovative media like 404 Media that find them, not the "traditional" media like the Verge, which is owned by Vox, a veritable behemoth.
so i watched the video and ... (Score:2)
... this guy says he has no clue how to even describe his new product yet but is thrilled about 3 ideas:
1. using the internet should feel like riding a waymo
2. cmd-T for chatbot (i guess that's ctrl-L in windows?)
3. browsing feels automatic and anticipates your needs
thx for the info? so since 1 and 3 are vapor i'll go with 2, which is a functionality you could easily get on any browser either out of the box, via settings or worst case via something like auto-hotkey. if you even wanted that. yay, billion dol
Coming soon: CALLY-OO - the simplest web browser (Score:2)
You don't need a computer. You don't need a tablet. You don't even need a smartphone! Our CALLY-OO browser works even with a feature phone or an old-fashioned landline. No typing! No clicking!
It's so simple! There are no ads! How does it work, you wonder? Okay, but be warned, once I tell you - you're gonna smack your head wondering why you couldn't come up with this million-dollar idea yourself!
1) Dial 1-900-CALLY-OO
2) Speaking slowly and clearly, state the name of the website you want to visit
3) Instantly
different (Score:2)
>"The plan this time is to build not just a different interface for a browser, but a different kind of browser entirely"
Arc is nothing but yet another UI on top of Google-controlled Chromium.
If the plan is to actually design a third open source browser (Firefox, Chrom*, and something new) I think that is a fantastic idea. We need MORE actual choices, not a single good browser that is not under Google's control (Firefox) and many dozens of Chom*.
Yet another proprietary Blink/Chromium skin. (Score:2)
No thanks.
check out Ladybird.