Intel doesn't view Chrome OS as a threat to Moblin, just wants world peace

Here's an interesting one. While one would assume that Intel would be quaking in its boots with the emergence of Chrome OS, Michael Chen -- director of Intel's embedded sales group and ultra mobility group in Asia-Pacific -- recently proclaimed that the company isn't worried at all. In fact, Intel seems pretty stoked that Google has introduced an operating system that will undoubtedly rival its own Moblin. To quote: "Our long-term goal is providing hardware for devices with different operating systems... more competition will drive up more innovations and that's good for consumers." Furthermore, we're told that Intel is looking forward to providing chips for machines based on Chrome OS, and frankly, we reckon that Intel's foothold in hardware and software makes it easier to brush this whole thing off. Must be nice, right?

[Chris @ Jul 9th 2009 10:15AM]

I don't think they're brushing it off at all. That phrase makes it sound as if they're 'too good to put any thought' into the Chrome OS. They have a point, the more options for consumers, the better! Good for Intel!

[Look_Around_You @ Jul 9th 2009 10:16AM]

And it's not like anyone has actually seen this OS or used it.

Why on Earth would any company need to put out a statement about it?

[Ian @ Jul 9th 2009 10:51AM]

It's OK because even if Moblin failed, they'd still be selling chips to just about everyone on the planet. ;)

They're not really in the OS business. It's not where they make all their money, which is why they also don't mind the challenge. I'm certain they don't, as long as their hardware plans go through. Remember, Intel's strategy is to provide mobile hardware and software, and I doubt the software is as important as the hardware.

[Phoenix @ Jul 9th 2009 2:29PM]

Just because nobody has used the OS doesn't mean that it's not well known. The Chrome OS is already big news so of course developers will be making statements about it before the release. Besides, Intel has a much wider base for income so it's no wonder they're unafraid.

And on a side note: this is great PR. Invite competition in a field that is not a major threat to you in the name of system development and you appear forward-thinking and customer oriented.

[OneLove @ Jul 9th 2009 10:17AM]

It will take 10+ years for Chrome OS to threaten Microsoft's windows os monopoly. They will probably dominate the instant on, "I just wanna surf" netbook market.

[HereAndNow @ Jul 9th 2009 10:45AM]

I doubt it will take 10+ years.

Windows is going to start to appear a bit clunky, as more and more people begin to use smartphones and an OS like Chrome. Microsoft, of course, is not sitting still, so they are likely to respond, but the days of "heavy" desktop OSes (e.g. Vista) are likely to come to an end.

[Michael Scrip @ Jul 9th 2009 3:02PM]

>> "as more and more people begin to use smartphones... but the days of "heavy" desktop OSes (e.g. Vista) are likely to come to an end."

Really?

19"+ monitors, HD HTPCs, gaming, digital photography, digital HD video, ANY real program written to work on a "heavy" desktop OS...

Do you really think a smartphone with a 3" screen will replace traditional computers? Lightweight OSes like Chrome are not to *replace* desktop OSes.

I admit... iPhones, Palm Pres, netbooks, etc are great at what they do. But they day I turn off my 20" monitor and quad-core computer and instead use my smartphone or netbook as my only computer... well, there will be a drastic change in the weather in Hell.

[Stephen @ Jul 10th 2009 3:38AM]

"I admit... iPhones, Palm Pres, netbooks, etc are great at what they do. But they day I turn off my 20" monitor and quad-core computer and instead use my smartphone or netbook as my only computer... well, there will be a drastic change in the weather in Hell." that's probably the best comment i've seen in a while :D

Anyway, i own a netbook and an i7 desktop. Netbook is great, i carry it with me whereever i go, but if i'm at home, i'm going to use my desktop, simple as that. I'd love to have some sort of super light OS on my Netbook, but honestly, Windows 7 is running like a dream on it, it's easy enough to use, and it's decently fast. I did try moblin, and i have to say, 2 seconds from HP logo to Desktop is nice, but it doesn't do ANYTHING at all... Getting it to stream music of my network was a pain, so now i have Win7 on it again. If Google can make this work, and make it fast, and simple, and actually fit a few features in there, i think that it would be great for netbooks. If it's just another OS that doesn't do anything, then i'm not sure they'll get anywhere :/

[kjb434 @ Jul 9th 2009 10:20AM]

In then end, I don't think Moblin or Chrome OS will be mainstays for usually computing tasks. I think they will demonstrate that they are very good bases for other devices that need an OS.

Many devices around us are operating on Linux and Microsoft CE. Some don't even have a screen. What do you think is running new ATM machines? Chrome OS and Moblin are really players in this market. It doesn't mean they can't be desktop uses for it, but I think there money will made in common devices where we may not even know they are installed on.

[sam @ Jul 9th 2009 11:03AM]

I don't know about new ATMs, but at least some of the old ones near me run Windows NT4...

Making a user-friendly version of Linux is a big challenge but not an impossible one; Apple succeeded at basically the same thing, after all. If Google really managed to do that (and I don't expect to see it in a first version), then yes they'll probably do well on smartbooks, netbooks, and maybe eventually even on desktops too. However, it seems they may be just aiming for a 'web-browser-only' OS, which is both a rather easier target, and a less interesting one (yeah, in that case, I'll stick with Ubuntu on my netbook as well). We'll just have to wait and see.

Given that Chrome runs on ARM it actually is a slight threat to Intel dominance, if it succeeds in a big way. Manufacturers would clearly like to release products in some categories with ARM chips instead of Intel, but not running Windows is a limitation. If there's an alternative to Windows that customers like, that means they can use non-Intel chips. (OK, Intel doesn't have a monopoly even in the Windows market, but AMD and Via's netbook efforts are nothing to write home about.)

[Maneki Neko @ Jul 9th 2009 10:30AM]

Also, in the end, how much does it really matter to Intel whether or not people use Moblin. It's a little hard even to see the benefit to Intel.

[loosely_coupled @ Jul 9th 2009 9:27PM]

Intel should quit wasting money, and spend their resources helping Canonical optimize Ubuntu for Atom cpus..

[Lucas @ Jul 10th 2009 2:23AM]

The benefit of a success of their own or several platforms succeeding is it give Intel more powerful position in their relation with Microsoft. A fractured OS market place with a dominant chip maker means they have greater ability in any partnerships.

If the OS companies were small enough they could even make large unilateral technological changes that are not even possibly with one entrenched OS maker, say dump x86 backward compatibility in 2 years for a more computationally efficient or manufacturaly cheaper to produce instruction set. The OS makers can say we will port our code to the new architecture or face loosing the chance to put their OS on 80% of all netbook/laptop/desktop chip made.

[AdvWar @ Jul 9th 2009 10:40AM]

From what I can tell, Moblin is basically just a tool to sell Intel's hardware, so if someone else (Google) is prepared to create software which would drive sales of Intel's hardware, it seems like a win-win situation for Intel, who sell more hardware with less effort.

[morcheeba @ Jul 9th 2009 2:56PM]

Yep. Intel wants to develop a new market (bigger-than-phone, smaller-than-netbook, internet-centric) and started moblin because this device didn't have a suitable os yet.

[Arnold @ Jul 9th 2009 10:57AM]

Another fork of linux competing with other versions on a new platform... linux status quo mantained

[hexydes @ Jul 9th 2009 10:58AM]

Yeah, Moblin is a huge piece of Intel's profit margin. I can see why they would feel threatened...

[Ed T @ Jul 9th 2009 11:17AM]

"Moblin" is a trademark of Datomo Ltd, an Israeli company involved in some kind of web 2.0 stuff. Seems that intel is on shaky ground even using the name, let alone trying to sell products or services under that moniker.

Lawyers! Call in the lawyers!

[kjb434 @ Jul 9th 2009 1:24PM]

How do you know if Intel doesn't own a controlling stake in Datomo? or even own it?

[Kelmon @ Jul 9th 2009 11:32AM]

Well, what were you expecting them to say? They are hardly going to do their best Private Frazer "We're DOOOOOOOOMED" when asked what they think of a new competitor.

Um, sorry for the Dad's Army reference...

[Jon Doe. @ Jul 9th 2009 11:32AM]

PLEASE! THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!!

[Andir3.0 @ Jul 9th 2009 12:04PM]

If Chrome takes off and people make apps for it, they will likely work on Moblin as well... how would that be a bad thing for Moblin adoption?

[Kelmon @ Jul 10th 2009 10:34AM]

I'm not sure about that. Sure, they are web applications but then so are the likes of Dashboard Widgets for the Mac OS and applications for the Palm Pre's webOS, and they certainly don't work on other platforms. If the applications use absolutely standard Javascript then, yes, they should work everywhere but if they add functionality so that the web applications can interact with the underlying hardware (for example, use a built-in web cam) then they might only work on the Chrome OS computers. We wait to see...

[Major4Play @ Jul 9th 2009 12:14PM]

How is it a threat, Chrome OS will run on Intel hardware the same as every other OS, which make more money for Intel.
Engadget is turning into a tabloid newspaper, just with much poorer editing.

[m2h @ Jul 9th 2009 6:02PM]

Slighty off topic.
Anyone know if there is a roadmap for Moblin?

[The Ikon @ Jul 11th 2009 1:34AM]

Laughing at all the "groupie" love that Google OS is getting as if it is going to put all other OS out of business and yet no one has even used it. You know when it is released it will be in 'beta' forever.

[10minutehobo @ Jul 10th 2009 8:39AM]

Intel will just pay system builders to not use Chrome OS.

That's why they're not threatened.

[Lin Ux @ Jul 18th 2009 1:30PM]

Why would Intel feel threatened? It is quite the opposite - Intel sells hardware not software. Google Chrome OS will boost Moblin. Intel is offering Moblin optimised for Intel Atom CPU based netbooks free of charge in order to promote Atom based netbook hardware.

Google Chrome OS is - Google Chrome browser + Google Gears + unspecified Linux distribution.

Future Moblin OS will be - Google Chrome browser + Google Gears + Moblin Linux distribution.

Intel is actually talking to Google so that the Google Chrome OS components can be included into Moblin.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/07/10/intel_google_chrome_os/

Intel is also talking to Google about including Google's Android mobile OS on some of its MIDs
http://www.geek.com/articles/mobile/intel-seeking-googles-android-os-for-future-mids-20090710/