I think we all knew this day would come, but it still shocks me.
Google has announced that they plan to create a PC Operating System based off of, not Android, but Google’s latest project, Chrome.
The OS will be geared to the ever-growing market of netbooks, and according to the blog post the OS will be designed with “Speed, Simplicity and Security are the key aspects of Google Chrome OS.” Something that has proven to be true with Google Chrome the browser.
The Chrome OS will run off of ARM and x86 chips and they are already planning on working with multiple OEM’s to get the OS up and running by the second half of next year. A quick timeline, no doubt. The Chrome OS will of course be open source and be built on top of the Linux kernel. A definite plus for all of us open source fans out there.
This is the first serious competition that Microsoft will have to face for a very long time and if I believe in Google like I think I do, I expect them to knock Apple out of the park. This puts a real dent though in Ubuntu’s armor which has been the poster boy for mainstream Linux adoption for a long time as well as other distros gaining some sort of mass adoption.
As for the overlap between Android and Chrome OS? Google considers this to be a moot point and that they both have their rightful place. This is probably true, while Android can run on netbooks it has always been mainly mobile geared, but I am thinking eventually they will have to converge.
Your move now, rest of the OS world.
Via Google Blog
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