It's Google. Of course it's an INNOCENT mistake. If Microsoft had done it, it would be a mortal sin against humanity.
Google has even come out and said that mobile Google Maps is only for WebKit engines. The open web is no longer about web standards apparently -- it's about one specific rendering engine.
It goes even further. At the top of my google docs spreadsheets there is now some scary language saying I should upgrade to chrome from my unsupported (but perfectly functional) browser.
Those horrible notifications that reappear every time you refresh the page are my very own source of annoyance with google. I have a 23" display and I like zooming into all pages to see text clearer. Now, google is the only internet company that decided to show me a big red box with "Your browser's current zoom setting is not fully supported".
Google has even come out and said that mobile Google Maps is only for WebKit engines. The open web is no longer about web standards apparently -- it's about one specific rendering engine.