Google's vision for Chrome OS

This articles covers how I believe the Google Chrome OS will become a platform for hosted content

Author: Matthew Wittering | Published: 27th November 2009

Now that the dust has settled after all the hubbub surrounding the Google Chrome OS event, 19th November. I would like to present my opinions on the product announcement. At the event Vice President of Product Marketing Sundar Pichai announced the release of Google Chrome OS for download to engage developers.

He stressed there was no beta release and product announcements would come in one years time. But what I do not think that has really been considered and something I will expand upon and develop my own ideas is the vision I believe which Google holds on developing this operating system. Where does Google believe the future of the operating system will take their business and what will it do for the bottom line of their advertising (search) business.

Whats Google Chrome OS?

I hate to go all Tech Grouch on the Youtube video above but this stateless computing is terminal and server computing. The server does all the heavy lifting and the terminal displays the result. I realise I am doing a disservice to all the efforts made by developers to produce ajax websites executing javascript code in the browser but the analogy rings true. As your data is not held locally. Instead stored remotely on a server away from your present physical location. The commonly sexed up name for this is cloud computing.

What I think remains to be proven is there a demand by consumers for such a computer. Netbooks and other small portable computers have been around for two or more years now but I am still not convinced whether consumers desire such a product from Google. Linux netbooks are reportedly returned by customers because they are not running on Microsoft Windows XP or above. So why does Google think that a Linux computer with the Google Chrome browser is a successful and valid alternative to the present model for computing.

I think it only becomes an attractive alternative to a Microsoft powered netbook computer if you consider the machine one of these situations:

News and literature devices for books, pdfs, newspapers and blogs whereby manfactures have a lightweight system for ultraportable and tablet devices like the proposed CrunchPad and similar.
Mobile computing for email, search, browsing, office productivity and waves to increase page impressions for Google Advertisements.
Physical solutions for Gone Google organisations which switched to Google Apps for enterprise in companies, schools and universities. Using devices designed for cloud appliances will automatically preclude to traditional software products produced by Microsoft.

Google has been very busy building interesting and attractive products for productivity and communication with free or commercial versions. Whether this has been planned or unintentional. Google Chrome OS is positions itself and Google Apps as cost effective alternatives to Microsoft or IBM.

Ultimately the direction taken will involve extensive integration of Google Apps. What is yet to be understood is how will Android fair in a world dominated by Google Chrome OS. If hardware manufactures and content producers can become aligned I would not be surprised if simple compelling devices can be produced running Chrome OS for accessing hosted content. While Android supports mobile phone handsets accessing the Google ecosystem creating clear market segments.

N.B. A virtual machine of Google Chrome OS has been made available by gdgt.com at http://gdgt.com/google/chrome-os/download/.

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This work is licenced under a Creative Commons Licence

A brief introduction

Matthew Wittering I am a graduate of Lougborough University where I read Computing and Management BSc (Hons) earning a 2:1 classification.

Currently I am working in the Product Team as a Junior Product Manager at Ask Jeeves UK. Continue