Instant boot-up times? Everything in the cloud? Chrome is the next gen OS, right? Trouble is, everybody still wants to do more with their PCs. As we've seen with the Linux netbooks that have shrunk into the background, people still want their PCs to come with Windows.
Don't get me wrong – Chrome looks really exciting and Google is completely right to pitch it at the second PC market, but people still want complete flexibility and expect to be able to do everything on a device they've just paid a couple of hundred pounds for.
Cheaper devices? Well, there could be a tiny market there. But in retail non-Windows netbooks have been a complete disaster, contrary to what everyone thought. Remember the stat that 1 in 4 Linux netbooks were returned?
What's more the netbook market is changing. Sure, you can still get budget models, but the move towards larger screen sizes (10.1-inch is the norm) and better specifications means that prices have crept up and capabilities are increasing.
Windows 7 Starter netbooks are already appearing - £269 for an Asus Eee Seashell with Windows 7 is simply stunning in terms of price and specification, while extra bells and whistles such as Nvidia's HD-capable chip are putting focus on laptops in the £300-£400 bracket and even above.
How will Chrome sell?
It's difficult therefore to see where Chrome can get a foothold in the market – especially as we've now had the news that you'll only be able to buy it pre-installed rather than download it yourself.
Perhaps if Windows 7 hadn't been as frugal with resources as it has been, netbooks would have had to stick with Windows XP. In that case, there would have been plenty of opportunity. And although Microsoft was hardly quick to close the gap, the fact remains that Windows 7 Starter is cheap enough for system builders to turn their backs on XP.
And, by the time Chrome OS hits home late next year, Windows 7 will be everywhere.
Of course, there's always the possibility that the market could change by the time Chrome devices hit the streets – who could have predicted the rise of the netbook would be so huge when Asus released the first Eee two years ago? What's more, Google isn't alone.
Plenty of people are designing netbook-type devices running Android and Linux derivatives and plenty more people want to get a slice of the pie, like Symbian and Intel Maemo.
What Google should do
So here's a thought. Instead of marketing Chrome OS as an operating system proper, what Google should do is to market it as a second instant-on operating system installed alongside Windows. Just like the proprietary Linux-based instant on OSses we see all the time from different manufacturers.
By saying Chrome is definitely a "second PC" OS, Google is clearly already trying not to antagonise Microsoft - after all if Microsoft says to its partners "we'd rather you didn't sell Chrome" then they're unlikely to - but it could go further to massage Microsoft's ego and pretend it is leaving well alone. Whatever Microsoft says, as a corporation it's still all about the desktop. Google, on the other hand, is all about the web and could use Chrome as a Trojan Horse to get in alongside Windows.
The result? People will gradually realise they use their browser for more things than they imagined, and need to boot into a full desktop OS less than they expected - and that has to work in Google's favour.
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Your comments (7) Click to add a new comment
lovlid
November 21st 2009
7. Google Cloud.
Best Spyware Ever.
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mcdragon
November 20th 2009
6. I would aggree with themadczech. I, too, have most of my docs online, read my mail in the cloud. Full blast pc-s might end up for more tech oriented people, developers ... I, for all, think we should let Google do its thing. It has been very insightful before.
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chrisinbelgium
November 20th 2009
5. "Windows 7 Starter netbooks are already appearing - £269 for an Asus Eee Seashell with Windows 7 is simply stunning in terms of price and specification"
Is that so? Well, I've got one of those right here and it is very slooooow. another netbook with half the memory and XP is twice as fast.
You need a fast machine for 7, not a netbook.
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mattdoc30
November 20th 2009
4. I'd heard that Google were working with specific manufacturers on a specific hardware set, i'd be surprised if ChromeOS is purely a 2nd operating system.
I wouldn't be surprised if a new type of computer comes out of this, they've taken a leaf out of Apples book here and there will be a set of stylish machines, probably tablets that are internet and media centric.
I also disagree with the other commentator, the number of people that want to keep their data on their machines and install their own apps is dwindling - think about the number of people who use services like Picasa, Flickr, Dropbox, G-mail... These are all cloud services that require little client side computing power. Once people can be convinced to use Google Apps or Office online and the streaming gaming services become more popular the full desktop clients life span will be short and it's uses probably become confined to developer roles
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techclicker
November 20th 2009
3. I think Google made a big mistake with the path it's taking with Chrome OS. People want to own their applications and don't want all their data stored online, especially not in the hands of Google, which is becoming a bit aggressive in terms of the amount of information it wants to control. Microsoft has to be thrilled by this announcement.
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themadczech
November 20th 2009
2. Instant on- perfect! Cloud access- fabulous! Most of my stuff is in Google cloud anyway. The only thing that puzzles me is my not throw a bit more effort behind Android, with all its market place and developer efforts.
I must agree that there will be some situations and apps that I'd prefer a computer to run natively than over the Internet.
But, let's see what Google comes up with when they go live (or into their "infinite Beta" :) )
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creativecog
November 20th 2009
1. Great article - I was trying to work out what the point of Chrome OS is (bit.ly/4n4Wlm). As your article shows as a second 'lite' operating system it would make a huge amount of sense... although I think the chance of this happening ranges from zero to zero
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