Google challenges Microsoft with new operating system

Internet giant Google is taking another step forward with its software development, after it announced yesterday that it will release an operating system for personal computers in the second half of 2010.

The company says the OS will be open-source, based on its Chrome web browser and will be distinctly different from the Android OS, which has already appeared on mobiles and netbooks.

“Google Chrome OS is an open-source, lightweight operating system that will initially be targeted at netbooks,” Sundar Pichai, vice president of product management said on the official blog yesterday.

“Because we’re already talking to partners about the project, and we’ll soon be working with the open-source community, we wanted to share our vision now so everyone understands what we are trying to achieve.”

The announcement has been seen as an attack on Microsoft’s dominance of the OS market for personal computers, with its Windows franchise currently leading the pack and giving the company a major source of revenue.

Google said its Chrome OS will be designed for low-cost Netbooks, just shortly after Microsoft announced its new Windows 7 OS will be tailored for both desktops and netbook computers.

The internet giant has already attempted to take on Microsoft with the introduction of the Android OS, but analysts suggest it may be difficult for Google’s Chrome OS to compete with Windows.

Its Chrome web-browser has already gained 30 million users since its launch last September, but still controls only a fraction of the market. Microsoft’s Internet Explorer is the market leader.

Gartner analyst Michael Silver told WAToday.com.au that as 70% of business applications run in Windows programs, corporations will be hesitant to move to another OS.

“This is going to generate a lot of hype, but it will probably be three to five years before it has any noticeable impact on the market,” Silver said.

But if the Chrome OS became popular, Microsoft would lose its dominance on the market while Google could introduce new users to its applications such as Google Docs and Gmail.

Evidence suggests the OS may take off, with Google having convinced mobile manufacturers such as HTC and Samsung to build mobiles with the Android OS. Acer, the world’s third-largest PC manufacturer, said recently it will introduce an Android netbook soon.

But Google itself said the OS is in early stages, and that “we have a lot of work to do”.

“…We’re definitely going to need a lot of help from the open-source community to accomplish this vision. We’re excited for what’s to come and we hope you are too. Stay tuned for more updates in the fall…”