Chrome finally catches up: vertical tabs & reading mode arrive

Google Chrome, a browser notorious for its glacial pace of feature adoption, has finally delivered two long-requested additions: vertical tabs and a full-page reading mode. While other browsers have offered these conveniences for years—Arc, in particular, has made vertical tabs a cornerstone of its design—Chrome users can now breathe a collective sigh of relief.

Vertical tabs: a space-saving triumph

The shift to vertical tabs isn't entirely new; it's been lurking in Chrome's advanced settings for a while. But now, it's readily accessible with a simple right-click on any window, selecting “Show Tabs Vertically.” The result? A welcome influx of screen real estate. The address bar smartly moves to the top, leaving more room for the content you’re actually consuming. And for the truly minimalist inclined, you can shrink the sidebar down to just the website favicons, effectively vanishing the Chrome interface altogether. It's a surprisingly satisfying level of control.

But let’s be honest: Chrome’s implementation still lags behind the elegance of Arc’s approach. Arc cleverly integrates the address bar within the vertical sidebar, maximizing space even further and creating a more cohesive visual experience. Google’s version feels slightly tacked-on, a belated attempt to address a need that’s already been elegantly solved elsewhere.

Reading mode: taming the web's visual clutter

The addition of reading mode is equally overdue. Right-click on any webpage and select “Open in reading mode,” and Chrome strips away the extraneous elements—ads, sidebars, navigation—leaving you with a clean, distraction-free reading experience. It’s a small change with a significant impact on focus and readability, particularly when tackling lengthy articles or research papers.

The delay in implementing these features is perplexing, particularly given their widespread adoption in competing browsers. It underscores a broader issue: Google’s tendency to prioritize its own roadmap over user demand. However, this latest update represents a step in the right direction, acknowledging—however belatedly— that users crave efficiency and a more streamlined browsing experience.

I’ve been a convert to vertical tabs for years, initially drawn to Arc’s overall design but ultimately staying for the sheer productivity boost they provide. The ease of navigation is simply unmatched. Now that Google has finally caught up, I may well be considering a return to Chrome, though Arc’s Spaces feature—a tab grouping system unlike any other—remains a significant draw.

The numbers speak for themselves: studies show that users spend an average of 88% of their time on websites below the fold. Giving users more vertical space isn’t just a nice-to-have; it's a fundamental shift towards a more user-centric web.