Chrome new tab page gets search, because users don’t get the Omnibar
But why, exactly, would Google bother to add this feature when the Omnibox is already capable of performing the exact same duties and it’s sitting right there at the top of the Chrome window? Because now that Chrome has expanded beyond its original user base of tech-savvy geeks and hardcore webheads, there are a lot of Chrome users that don’t understand how their new browser works.
According to a post on the Chromium blog, “many people still navigate to their search engine’s home page to initiate a search.” This new search box is aimed at helping those folks out.
Simplicity is a great thing, but it’s also something that a certain segment of users don’t adapt to all that well.
Fortunately, since Chrome is high customizable, those of us who find some of these changes annoying or silly can toggle a setting or install an add-on to undo them.