Google is going back to basics with the launch of Google Chrome OS, designed to compete with the likes of Microsoft Windows and Ubuntu on the desktop. The new OS, expected sometime in 2010 is based on the principles of ”Speed, simplicity and security” according to Google.
“We’re designing the OS to be fast and lightweight, to start up and get you onto the web in a few seconds,” said Sundar Pichai, vice president of product management, and Google’s engineering director Linus Upson.
They added that ”the operating systems that browsers run on were designed in an era where there was no web [and this is] our attempt to re-think what operating systems should be”.
“We are completely redesigning the underlying security architecture of the OS so that users don’t have to deal with viruses, malware and security updates.”
“It should just work,” said Google.
Google have made significant waves in the mobile market in recent months with their Android mobile OS, that’s proven to be a significant competitor to the Apple iPhone.
Unsurprisingly, while the new OS will run on netbooks, laptops and desktops easily, the company says its initial focus will be the burgeoning netbook market. It’s aimed primarily at people who “use the web a lot” say the company, which should come as no surprise given that it’s Google.
This announcement has long been expected ever since the first rumours of Chrome and Android appeared. How popular this OS will be remains to be seen, but with the Google brand behind it, and Android already doing well. This could significantly help the company get it’s new OS bundled with computers from some of the major PC manufacturers.
How will this affect Windows 7 for Microsoft. Chrome is a very lightweight browser, both in look and feel and under the hood and you can be certain that this same programming ethos will be transferred to Chrome OS. With Microsoft’s recent focus on making Windows 7 leaner and faster though this should be a non-issue, though it’s one Google are bound to shout about.
Ultimately, I don’t believe this will affect Microsoft, Windows 7 or Windows 8. People will be attracted to the Google brand far more than Microsoft’s brand, however Vista and Office 2007 have taught us that people are generally resistant to change and having even a shallow learning curve. This is all the more relevant in business where, if the learning curve for Linux, and we can be certain this will be a Linux based OS, was low enough for companies to make the switch, they’d have done so years ago.
