Chrome OS is still an early project and it's not yet ready for primetime, so the first Chrome OS notebooks will be available in mid 2011. For now, Google focuses on notebooks, but that will change in the future.
Google realized that cloud computing wasn't successful 15 years ago because there weren't great Web applications. Now there are a lot of great apps and Chrome Web Store is the place where you can find some of them. We'll see a lot of iPhone and Android developers creating web apps that work in Google Chrome, but also work in other browsers.
Check the New York Times web app, which has a beautiful interface, it's customizable and also works offline.
Chrome now has 120 million active users, up from 40 million users one year ago. This number will grow next year, when people will buy Chrome OS devices. Google hopes that Chrome OS will become one of the top 3 operating systems in terms of usage, but it won't be easy to achieve this. For some people, a Chrome OS notebook will be the main computer, for others it will be a secondary device. What's important is that users will have a great platform for running web apps, a computer that doesn't require maintenance, it's really secure and easy to use.
Chrome OS is "nothing but the web". It may seem limited, but it's actually open ended. It's a platform that lets you access the web instantly, that's always connected and always in sync, it's built for sharing with other people, it's up-to-date and it's constantly improving.
Chrome OS is the obvious extension to Chrome. Why use a bulky operating system that requires maintenance, it's slow and insecure when you can switch to a lightweight operating system that's fast, free and refreshing? If Chrome can open in 3 seconds, why can't the operating system load so fast? Chrome OS is an operating system that doesn't need drivers to print, doesn't need an antivirus to be secure and doesn't need to store or process your data. Chrome OS could make computers exciting once again and the best part is that you won't have to use it to benefit from its influence.
Further reading and exploring:
* Google's blog post about the Web Store and Chrome OS
* Chrome Web Store
* Chrome OS website
* Chrome OS pilot program for US early adopters: get a free Cr-48 Chrome notebook.
Alex. Am primit mail cum ca sunt eligibil pentru primirea unui chrome netbook gratuit de la google. Dar traiesc in Romania si nu stiu pe nimeni din state. Ce sa fac?
ReplyDeleteI'm feeling pretty stoked out of my mind about Chrome OS and Chrome machines. Really dying to do the pilot program.
ReplyDeleteOn a related note about app tabs: Does anyone know when or if we'll ever get the main bonus functionality from app tabs illustrated here:
http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2010/07/install-google-web-apps-in-google.html
Please, let the answer be yes. I feel like a 5-yr-old. I want my real app tabs back!
Android isn't a place holder. Google has been pretty clear. Android is designed for touch input and Chrome OS is designed for traditional keyboard and mouse/trackpad input.
ReplyDeletehttp://mashable.com/2010/11/15/android-chrome-os/
Please forgive such an ignorant question, but I am at my office and not running Chrome on my office computer.
ReplyDeleteIf you are using Chrome as your browser, can you download the applications and use them? Or do you have to have a computer where Chrome is the OS in order to use the apps? Thanks!
Is there a way to intall chrome OS on my eeePC? because basically is linux with chrome. So... any idea?
ReplyDeleteI have see the source on http://git.chromium.org/gitweb/ but, I guess is a little old.
@Alex: I don't know, but I think Google will keep Android, since it's already an established OS and work on Chrome OS?
ReplyDelete@Cougar Abogado: Sorry, but I think the different look of Web Apps tabs has been removed. Another feature of Web Apps that I like was that the toolbar was removed when opening a web app tab.
Make that "... cool applications in the Chrome Web Store, which is now available *in the US only*". :-(
ReplyDeleteGoogle chrome new version I have downloaded, It's amazing
ReplyDeletehttp://howtoraj.blogspot.com/2010/12/google-launches-new-version-of-chrome.html
The idea being that in the future developers will produce web based applications that could be run from any Internet browser rather than a software package that requires a downloading and installation.
ReplyDeleteAlex.. you're losing your bluster buddy. You can't always rely on people reporting things for you. Look forward to seeing you at the Mashable Awards at CES. Or you trying to get a Chromebook.
ReplyDeleteBest, Daniel Cawrey.
Too bad for the Cr-48 Chrome notebook. Only for US residents, and moreover, they will take it back.
ReplyDeleteI use Google chrome but sometimes very slow...
ReplyDeleteIs there an easy way to put chrome OS on a flash drive?
ReplyDeleteI like how the new Chrome OS looks. I will have to test it out at least for a week in order to give you an elaborated opinion about it. Will see how it handles everyday tasks.
ReplyDeleteNot to be a nay-sayer, but really, mid-2011? Six months is a long time, especially with netbook sales projected to begin their decline. Not sure Chrome OS is what most people would consider a suitable OS on a more powerful device like a $500 laptop. A cloud-type OS is nice in theory, but I’m not sure the general public is ready for it in a netbook form factor now that tablets are all the rage. Personally I don’t have a need for it, but I guess we’ll see what the rest of the consumers have to say.
ReplyDelete