The speculation is building around the Google Chrome Operating System. Some see a netbook war with Microsoft, while others are calling it a wash before it even debuts. Still others are predicting a Windows revival in the face of Google competition.
The Google Chrome OS is an open-source lightweight operating system initially targeted at netbooks. It will run on both x86 and ARM chips, and Google is working with hardware manufacturers, including Acer, ASUS, Freescale, Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo and Toshiba to bring netbooks to market with an OS that touts speed, simplicity and security.
Google-Microsoft Hype
Although Google’s Chrome OS announcement set off hype on one hand and speculation on the other about a Google-Microsoft battle, some analysts believe such assessments are premature. By the time Chrome OS-enabled netbooks make it market in 2010, Windows 7-based netbooks may have been on the market for a year.
“Underestimating Google is a mistake by nearly any measure, but we would suggest that expecting to compete effectively against Microsoft in markets where it has enjoyed a 12-plus-month head start is also foolish in the extreme,” said Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT. “Depending on how or whether the Chrome OS catches fire, Microsoft has the wherewithal to price the netbook version of Windows 7 and its associated applications very aggressively.”
Most important, King noted, the future development of the netbook market depends heavily on the activities of OEM partners. He points to problems with Vista that led many of those vendors to explore OS and application options beyond Microsoft. It’s up to Windows 7 to repair those partner relationships before Google can get a foothold. But building an effective OEM partner ecosystem is always a challenge.
Deconstructing Traditional PCs
King said the most intriguing thing about the netbook phenomena is the way it is leading to a literal deconstruction of traditional…