The Google PC and OS
Rumors have been around for some time about Google launching Google OS, an Operating System to compete with Microsoft Windows. Well…. now the rumors are circulating around the Google PC (with Google OS). The Latimes.com is reporting that Google has been meeting with people from Wal-Mart (and others) to distribute a cheap pc. This would be a Google PC running something other than Windows – Google OS….
The rumor is that it will be announced Friday at CES in Larry Page’s keynote address. The best way I see this making sense is if the “Google PC” is really a slimmed down “internet appliance” web browsing dominant device. It would probably not deal with user installed software, and just be web browser/email capable. (I assume with all relevant plugins for web browsing.) Any applications could be done through the web browser, which is something else that’s been rumored. I assume the default portal would be Google, I wonder if there would be additional targetted ads (outside the web portal) to subsidize the price of the system. Really they would likely break even (or lose a bit) on the sale price probably and be able to make it up in advertising revenue if it was done the right way….
There are things that concern me about Google moving into the PC business. From one point of view they would have enough leverage to put some serious hurt on Microsoft and force some innovation from the Redmond-based company…. however, from the other side, seeing a company ruling 80% or so of the web’s search traffic possibly make inroads into the desktop side as well…. that’s a bit disturbing.