Google is getting ready to begin selling a laptop running its Chrome operating system in a $20-per-month "student package" that combines hardware and online services, according to a Forbes report that cited an unnamed senior Google executive.

Google representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The package is likely a precursor of similar products for businesses and developers in the offing, as the executive reportedly hinted at.

"Small and medium-size businesses are banging on our doors to get something like this," the executive told Forbes.

The offering could prove valuable for Google as a product testing mechanism and lay the foundation for a future market as the students using the Chrome laptops graduate to the workforce.

Chrome OS, Google's browser-based operating system, is in a tough position. It was supposed to debut last year for Netbooks, but Google only delivered a prototype for developers, and the software remains a work in progress.

The announcement would likely be made tomorrow during Google's keynote address at day two of its I/O developer conference in San Francisco. CNET will be live-blogging the keynote starting at 9:30 a.m. PT.