Google: Chrome OS launching this fall
By Thomas Ricker 
posted June 2nd 2010 6:51AM
posted June 2nd 2010 6:51AM
Originally announced with a planned second half of 2010 launch, today Google has narrowed the launch of its Chrome OS to fall. This, according to Sundar Pichai, Google VP of product management speaking at Computex. By our calculation that is sometime between 22 September and 21 December in the northern hemisphere if you want to take the man literally... and you do, don't you. Wonder if we'll see a Chrome OS tablet launch at the same time?
It's gonna be a good year.
@BlackedOut if it is what they showed us, then it's little more than a very fast web browser that you boot to. It would seem that google are hoping that web apps become very advanced very quickly in order for them to compensate with the shortfalls of the idea. Still, its -sort of- neat, I might have a cheap tablet on the sofa next to me to read the news or just browse with this on....
@Spaldinggreat
If it boots fast (near instant), is cheap, and just works out of the box (including flash content running nicely), then the iPad may have some serious competition as "the best way to browse the web".
Otherwise meh.
Difficult to say really without seeing it or really knowing what it's for. but I doubt it's for me.
@Spaldinggreat
i wouldn't be surprised to see google themselves making a few webapps in areas they find lacking
@BlackedOut Could this be the famous "year of Linux on Desktop"?
MeeGo FTW!!
@BlackedOut
Maybe not in Redmond and Cupertino though.
@Plexus Redmond has a little less to wow us with, WM7 looks good but no solid date yet.
But why not in Cupertino? 2 Million iPads sold in just under 2 months? Don't forget the new iPhone hardware (most likely) coming this month. Methinks Jobs already gave his financial department 2 thumbs up for this year.
@fubarweb
My kids only use a web browser. It would make a nice family computer OS. More of a replacement for Ubuntu than Windows.
@Spaldinggreat
"very advanced very quickly"
seems google is pretty good at that.
@BlackedOut
Am I the only one not excited about the scrap project of the "rich kid" with spare time and money on his hands?
Cmon. Just sleep windows 7. There's your boot time right there. Only it still has the rest of the OS this nickelodion rendition of an os will probably lack.
@Failbait Except you still have to manage your own apps and security. With Chrome OS, the apps and security are both managed on the server.
Besides, why bother putting the computer to sleep when you can shut it down and it boots up in under 4 seconds?
@BlackedOut why is the source for this yahoo news? Since when did yahoo announce google things?
@Spaldinggreat
Chrome is capable of native code execution in the browser, so it doesn't need to be fancy web apps, you could run anything with that including games, full office applications, and stuff like Photoshop. They're unifying the interface to all applications in a single place, the browser.
@Mr w00t
It's been the year of Linux on the Desktop since about 1995, by my count :) That said, I'd love to buy a cheap ($300) Chrome netbook. Mmm, dual-core pine trail.
@BlackedOut
A good year for everyone but Microsoft!
@zakany
I understand that most people use the browser most of the time, but still why would anyone buy a Chrome OS netbook when they could buy a Windows netbook with Chrome on it at a likely similar price..you know, just in case.
@Spaceshipped
security and speed
apple claims its life changingly quicker than windows and that it has the perfect security, whereas chrome actually will be :)
@JohnnyRocketpants Hmmm... sort of sounds like ActiveX.
@UnixSystemsEngineer hehe yes.. I have been counting this as well more or less form the same time. And every I get disappointed :P
I share the same Homer drolling as you for a 300e dual-core pine trail BUT MeeGo ;)
@BlackedOut This will be the sweetest thing. Not to mention that chrome netbooks will come as soon as this is launched. http://j.mp/netbook-chrome-from-google
Chrome OS and Gingerbread at the same time, I wonder how significant this is...
@Bratyr
Chrome OS for Halloween...? :O
new os on the market people...hold on tight!
Will like to see google dig into apple's market this year
@Joeyjoejoe Shabadoo
Dig in to Apples? Blah! What market share do they have in the home computer/laptop/notebook OS market, apart from being trendy?
I'd finally like to see someone digging in to Windows market!
I know Chrome OS is only aimed at smaller things to start with, but maybe in a few years a desktop rival at last? I hope so!
@Joeyjoejoe Shabadoo
How will this dig into Apple's market share when Apple don't make netbooks?
Yeah baby. Show us what 'cloud computing' can do.
It's almost as if Google likes fragmentations. Why have yet another OS/Platform, instead of making a netbook/smartbook/tablet derivative of Android? After the talks/rumours of Gingerbrind being tablet friendly, I thought Google was going to abandon ChromeOS altogether.
@Ioannis
bread...bread...gingerbread
@Ioannis Ha I just posted the same question right after you. Yeah yo are right I am very puzzled and Chrome seems to be to cloud dependent and therefore needs constant internet connection and as we can see carriers like at&t are not going to make that cheap or easy.
@Ioannis
Android and Chrome OS might be two very different things. But does that mean they are unable to interact with each other? I'm sure Google will do anything possible to make syncing, streaming, tethering.. between their netbook/tablet devices and phones as smooth as possible. Don't let the different name an UI fool you there.
@SeeKo
It's not the 'connectivity'/interaction between those OSes that's the issue here. You end up with two separate programming and thus application platforms, which causes the fragmentation. Android, as it stands, is cloud impaired. Instead of improving Android on that front, they chose to start a new OS for cloud computing. As kamenwati said, it seems as a waste of resources, since I actually think Android will become more cloud aware/oriented later on. Having said all that, ChromeOS appears to be a very thin client, accessing those cloud services Google and others provide and it's not as if there will be applications written specifically for ChromeOS. But even if that's the case, why have yet another UI to maintain/develop?
@Ioannis
I think building something from the ground up for a specific purpose is smarter.. seeing as android already has a current role, which they keep expanding on rapidly. Imagine if they had of used android instead of Chrome OS when they started this project. Think Android would be where it is today on the mobile market?
@Ioannis You don't end up with two different programming platforms, you end up with one: Webkit. The point of Chrome OS is that it's just a web-browser to access your internet apps like Hotmail/GMail, Microsoft Office Live/Google Docs etc., and for most people these web-apps have enough features that they can use them pretty much exclusively without needing a local client.
I generally don't like the idea myself, but the concept is solid and has a strong foundation put in place by Google.
@Incorrigible
I can't remember who from google it was, but in an interview to engadget they stated that while initially android and chrome would be separate entities, as the to OS's progressed they would converge on each other and have much more overlap. They view that as the end goal but don't see it as feasible at this current time.
I'd like to see the day where either Chrome OS and Android become one or when it's finally decided that both products will go their own way.
On the one hand, if they merge, we'll end up getting an ipadesque experience where all Chrome OS is is a blown-up android or Android is a shrunk-down ChromeOS.
If they stay separate projects, they're better able to serve their target devices.
This is ofcourse all related to UI. If the core is the same and the UI is made different for Highly mobile vs mobile (smartphones vs tablets) then we're talking about loads of win.
I'm still not exactly sure why they have Chrome OS and Android to me it seems like a wastes of resources I would of put chrome os features into android or maybe have two iterations of android I dont know maybe I'm missing the point of google having both.
I'm not sure but isnt chrome really cloud dependent and there for internet dependent ?
@kamenwati
Think Intranet kiosk.
@kamenwati
By doing this, I would think it made it possible for them to keep focus on expanding androids mobile features, while having a different team focus on the Chrome OS vision.
It makes more sense to me this way.
@kamenwati Yes. Chrome OS is basically the Google Chrome browser on top of a Linux kernel, some GNU userland tools and X. That's it. When you log on, you're logging on to your google account, not a local account on the computer itself.
Think: your web browser is the entire computing experience. No local apps, no local storage, nothing. You use the entire OS as if you're using Google Chrome.
Watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QRO3gKj3qw
@The Madman I figured it was something like that. Yeah ChromeOS is definitely not for me. I suspect it wont be for many because it is to network reliant what happens if yuh got net issue or if their cloud service goes down like gmail does at times yeah its definitely not for me.
I would love to see a webcam option
*prepares to have all of my data scanned and logged by Google*
Woo!
@Maybach
I had a good laugh at this comment. Thanks.
@Maybach
I am willing to become part of the Google collective.
Just waiting for the instructional doodle that tells me where to attach the tubes,
This doesn't seem like it will be a hit to me.
Why are you all talking of Android and Chrome OS as if they are created for the same purpose? They are two completely different platforms, meant for different devices. Although there is overlap between the potential application of the operating systems, this doesn't mean that each can't be developed individually.
Whats more, having them separate facilitates development of third party applications through the android sdk/developer.
Not to mention the logistical problems which they would have. I'm happy for Android to stay on mobile and handheld devices and Chrome to be happily suited for desktop. After all, the intended uses are different by each end user, so why should the platform be different.
@Kalyse So what will Google use for tablets, Chrome or Android?
@Garion
Exactly. This just seems... odd.
2 choices, what do I develop for? Probably android if it's able to run a browser AND dig deeper for apps if needed, Chrome is just...
Don't get it.
@Jyve
You would have this choice with Chrome OS or not. The choice for Android (iPhone, Windows, Linux etc.) is: Web or Native Apps.
Chrome OS is just web (a highly optmized one).