And Finally... Google world domination continues with new Chrome OS

By James Shepherd on Jul 9, 09 12:27 PM in News

A Google operating system has been one of the web's most consistent rumours for years, but today Google announced it is real: Google Chrome OS will be launched next year, going head to head with Windows.

Announcing the existence of the Google Chrome OS today, Sundar Pichai, Google's vice president of product management and Linus Upson, Google's engineering director said it would be "our attempt to re-think what operating systems should be."

Promising the Chrome OS will be open source, lightweight and speedy, Google also pledges that Chrome OS will "start up and get you onto the web in a few seconds."

Just like the Chrome browser, the Chrome OS will be designed to stay out of your way, maximising screen space for apps and web browsing. And on the subject of apps, Google says the Chrome OS will run software created using web techologies

"Of course, these apps will run not only on Google Chrome OS, but on any standards-based browser on Windows, Mac and Linux" Google explains, "thereby giving developers the largest user base of any platform."

But the overall aim of Chrome OS is simplicity: Google has set out its mission by simply stating: "computers need to get better."

"[users] want their computers to always run as fast as when they first bought them. They want their data to be accessible to them wherever they are and not have to worry about losing their computer or forgetting to back up files." Google's Chrome OS announcement states.

Of course, that sounds like the Chrome OS will be a glorified browser, putting all its emphasis on storage in the cloud, while the computer itself holds very little storage, or power. Classic Google.

So how long do we have to wait for the Chrome OS to appear? Not long at all: Google is already talking to manufacturers, pledging to launch the Chrome OS, and "bring a number of netbooks to market [running Chrome OS] next year."

One thing is certain: Google just put itself head to head with Microsoft in the most crucial way yet.

Forget browser wars, forget web advertising.

Google just declared war on Microsoft's home turf: the PC on millions of desktops all over the world.