Google Chrome OS and Managed Services
In case you missed the news, Google Chrome OS is real and coming soon, according to Google's own blog.
If you’re not remotely managing Linux-type desktops and notebooks yet, I suspect you will be by 2010. The reason: Google plans to ship an open source operating system — called Chrome OS — for netbooks. And yes, I think your customers will start buying netbooks as part of hardware-as-a-service (HaaS) agreements.
In case you missed the news, Google Chrome OS is real and coming soon, according to Google’s own blog.
Short-term, Google Chrome OS faces five key questions. But long-term, Google Chrome OS seems like a promising consumer play against Windows 7 and Windows XP netbooks.
Where Google Chrome OS Fits
Linux-based netbooks seem to be struggling a bit lately in North American retail stores, at least according to our company’s own observations. Fact is, most consumers still aren’t familiar or comfortable with Linux-branded netbooks.
Enter Google Chrome OS. What happens when you take a well-known technology brand (Google), mix in some open source (Chrome OS) and ship the software on low-cost commodity hardware?
The answer could be a revolution.
Already, major service providers like Verizon Wireless promote free or low-cost Windows netbooks as part of a cellular service contract in North America. You can bet Google and PC makers will pursue similar relationships for forthcoming netbooks running Chrome OS.
My key takeaway: Even if you’re not supporting Linux-oriented desktops and mobile devices in 2009, you will be in 2010.
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“What happens when you take a well-known technology brand (Google), mix in some open source (Chrome OS) and ship the software on low-cost commodity hardware?”
Let me guess…Microsoft says goodbye to high margins on Windows?
Simplicius: I like what Microsoft is doing with Windows 7 and some other new initiatives (BPOS in particular). But in a single sentence you have captured the essence of Google Chrome OS and the challenge facing Microsoft’s traditional mobile OS business. Nice job.
To follow up on what you both have said, not only will Micro$oft be forced to revisit their margins, they will also be backed into focusing on functionality in addition to marketing if Google’s Chrome OS performs as promised. For too long Micro$oft has generated huge marketing buzz for their products, and then let their customer base identify bugs in products that have been effectively sold but less than effectively engineered.
What? A M$ product that actually does all that the Marketing group says it does? If they had done this all along we might not still be using NT-based technology to get to this page in the first place…