Google may have announced its Chrome OS operating system a year and a half ago, but it looks like the companya4‚¬a4„s executives are still wrapping their heads around its significance and potential. At least, thata4‚¬a4„s what I took away from a New York Times article about the OS.
Acer recently told Engdadget that it wona4‚¬a4„t be releasing Chrome OS devices until 2011 but that Google has something up its sleeve for December of this year. The Times says that&'s when Google plans to release a Google-branded Chrome device, which will be manufactured by another company.
With the launch so close, youa4‚¬a4„d think Google would have a clear message about how the operating system fits into its product lineup, particularly since it already has Android. At almost every Google press event involving Android and/or Chrome, someone will inevitably ask how Android stacks up against Chrome OS. At first, it seemed like they were obviously different, since Android was developed for mobile phones while Chrome was built for netbooks (low-end laptops). Still, Google has suggested that it wants to take both operating systems beyond their initial devices, for example with Android-based tablets.
Back in June, even Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer admitted confusion about Chrome vs. Android. Ray Ozzie, who was then the companya4‚¬a4„s chief software architect, argued that Chrome was a bet on the future, because ita4‚¬a4„s all about the Internet cloud, while Android is more old-fashioned.
Herea4‚¬a4„s chief executive Eric Schmidta4‚¬a4„s latest attempt at an answer &8212' ita4‚¬a4„s from the Times article but echoes statements he made at the Web 2.0 Summit last week:
We dona4‚¬a4„t want to call the question and say this one does one thing, this one does another. So far the model seems to be the Android solution is particularly optimized for things that involve touch in some form and Chrome OS appears to be for keyboard-based solutions.
Thata4‚¬a4„s one answer, I suppose, but it lacks the pizazz of Ozziea4‚¬a4„s visionary language, and it also doesna4‚¬a4„t have much to do with the initial pitch of Chrome as an operating system fully based in the cloud &8212' i.e., one where everything resides online, and there are no applications or files on your computer &8212' suggesting the keyboard bit is almost an afterthought.
Why the switch Ia4‚¬a4„m guessing that on the one hand, Google doesna4‚¬a4„t want to pitch Android as an anti-cloud operating system, and on the other hand, the company might have a hard time selling Chrome OS on the no-native-apps angle (at one point in the article, Google&'s Sundar Pichai said people&'s first impression of Chrome OS will be, &''It&'s just a browser,&'' to which he says, &''Exactly.&'') when app-dominated operating systems like Android and Applea4‚¬a4„s iOS are on the rise.
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Companies: Google
People: Eric Schmidt, Sundar Pichai
Companies: Google
People: Eric Schmidt, Sundar Pichai
Anthony is VentureBeat's assistant editor, as well as its reporter on media, advertising, and social networks. Before joining VentureBeat in 2008, Anthony worked at the Hollister Free Lance, where he won awards from the California Newspaper Publishers Association for breaking news coverage and writing. He attended Stanford University and now lives in San Francisco. Reach him at anthony@venturebeat.com. (All story pitches should also be sent to tips@venturebeat.com) You can also follow Anthony on Twitter.
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