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Update: Google has officially announced the removal of the beta label on Chrome, via the Official Google Blog.

Prepare to say goodbye to something that serves as both a safety net and warning sign for Google Chrome.  Although she didn't give a timeframe, Marissa Mayer herself has confirmed that the browser's beta tag will be removed.

We first heard about this push late last month, from Vice President of Product Management Sundar Pichai.  He discussed a January-ish target date, and advertising campaigns and distribution deals were discussed at the same time.

 The Net Applications Outlook On Browsers

Mayer sits more than a single step up on the corporate ladder, though, so what she told Michael Arrington in an interview at LeWeb '08 seemed worth repeating.

Considering that Google's products have been known to remain in beta for very long periods of time (look at Google Docs or the even more common Gmail), Mayer and her company appear to want Chrome on a real fast track.  Since browsers are something many people use for eight or more hours a day (instead of 30 or so minutes), removing the beta tag might make them less skittish.

Anyway, Chrome's at least picking up speed in a small way so far.  When we covered Sundar Pichai's comments, Net Applications put Chrome's market share at 0.74 percent.  The Google-made browser has now passed Opera and sits at 0.83 percent.