I am Google Chrome, and I Challenge Accept.
Google is an amazing company. It’s a company that started out as nothing and after so many years, is the most ubiquitiously used verb associated with searching the web. They have a very good suite of tools online which can really help get things done when you are on the go. However, recently, they have taken a step forward and brought the Chrome OS to life. Basically, it’s a new operating system, but with a Google twist.
The Google twist lies in the fact that unlike Windows or Linux, Google made the Chrome OS to be a cloud-based operating system, whereas in Windows or Linux, you don’t need a sunny day to use the OS. On the Chrome OS, you’ll need some form of getting online before you can use much of its software such as Google Docs. And this becomes a big issue for a mobile warrior – especially since most Chromebooks are based on netbooks, which implies that the computer should be portable. Of course, certain netbooks will get the SIM card slot, but based on my experience, 3G connections are great when they work, but if they don’t, then you’ll be stuck there regretting using a net-based OS.
Looks good, does it work good?
And then it faces two large competitors. The tablet and the netbook. Yes, a Chromebook is a netbook… but it is more tantamount to a one-legged netbook, you’ll need to give it the artificial leg of web access or it will have a hard time getting things done. And that’s where a Windows-based netbook still wins. Even with the most naked version, Windows 7 Starter, it functions quite well, especially since often it comes bundled with Office Starter.
But, enter another new fad that has come into the market - tablets. Tablets often work significantly better with net access, just like a Chromebook. But unlike a Chromebook, it has functionality offline too. I mean, you can Documents to Go your work.
The final, and most fundamental frontier that Google needs to break is the price barrier. Unfortunately, the low quantity of Chromebooks produced can prove to be quite a nasty thing for prices. Starting over $400, you’d wonder why you didn’t buy a netbook instead. And then there’s the brand loyalty to Windows… everybody would buy a Windows over any other OS even if it’s a bit more expensive – and you know that because statistics have shown that when Microsoft re-released a lighter Windows XP purposely for netbooks, it stole the market share that Linux once had.
The question now is how Google will continually improve the Chrome OS such that it fits realities. I’m sure it can be a really good OS, but, I suspect that you’ll just need an internet connection or you’re better off with anything but Google-made products.
Image: Wikipedia
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