Not because it’s faster, though apparently it is. Not because of the features, which have gotten both good and bad reviews. Not because of its design, whether you like it or not.

It matters because it has the potential to redefine what a browser is. It has already ignited so many comments on the idea of a browser as an OS.

John Siracusa from Arstechnica said it best:

My enthusiasm at this point is not so much about the product as it is about the methodology. Google didn’t set out to merely improve upon existing web browsers. Instead, it attempted to rebuild the web browser from first principles.