Thursday 9 July 2009
Google Challenges Microsoft for the Netbook, Laptop and Desktop Space
In its most obvious challenge to Microsoft yet, Google has announced two strategic decisions with far-reaching and potentially hugely disruptive consequences.
The first might seem small and merely cosmetic — the removal of the "beta" tag on several of its core online services, including Gmail, Google docs, Google calendar, and others.
These cloud-based services represent an alternative solution to the costly installation-based Microsoft software such as Office and Outlook.
As such, Google is seeking to reassure business and corporate users that it is now a truly serious competitor to Microsoft and that its testing phase of these important applications has now reached maturity.
Google has also announced that it is developing a PC operating system (Google Chrome OS) which will initially target notebook PCs but will ultimately be suitable for laptops and desktop computers.
This is a serious threat to Microsoft as its operating systems have all grown up "pre-Web".
Google is designing a new, simple, fast and secure operating system which is going back to basics, redesigned for a web world.
"It should just work," says Google, "users don't have to deal with viruses, malware, and security updates …"
This move is also going to have implications for hardware suppliers for personal and corporate computers.
It will be interesting to see which if any partner suppliers Google will work with, or if they choose to go it alone and enter into the business of hardware manufacture themselves.
Either way, in the future we can be sure to see computer systems bearing the Google logo with no mention of Microsoft anywhere to be seen.
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