Google on Tuesday announced a Chrome browser beta version for Apple Mac and Linux.

Chrome for Mac has been delayed for some time now, as it was first supposed to be released in the first half of 2009 but faced several delays.

It took longer than we expected, but we hope the wait was worth it, Brian Rakowski, Google product manager, wrote in a blog post.

The download, available direct from Google, is 17.6MB. It requires Mac OS X 10.5 or later, and only runs on Intel processors.

We've been working hard to deliver a first-class browser for the Mac — it took longer than we expected, but we hope the wait was worth it! the blog read.

We wanted Google Chrome to feel at home on the Mac, so we've focused on uniting our clean, simple design with subtle animations and effects to create a snappy and satisfying browsing experience on OS X. As you might expect, the speed of Google Chrome for Mac is something we're very proud of. If you have a Mac, try installing the beta and see how fast it launches — there's hardly even time for the icon in the dock to bounce!

Below is a Mac-specific video tutorial for Google Chrome:

The 17.6MB download is available direct from Google. It requires Mac OS X 10.5 or later, and only runs on Intel processors.

Google also launched a Chrome extensions gallery page which is a list of over 300 extensions the web browser has. It is similar to what Mozilla Firefox offers, called add-ons, which allow users to customize their browser.

Google Software Chrome Google chrome