Following no shortage of speculation, Google has confirmed the seemingly inevitable - it is working on an operating system that it hopes will one day challenge Microsoft's Windows-based dominance.
The operating system, dubbed Google Chrome OS, is described as a natural extension of the Google Chrome web browser launched in September 2008. Commenting on the software, Google's vice president of product management Sundar Pichai described the Chrome OS as "an open source, lightweight operating system that will initially be targeted at netbooks".
Google expects to open-source its Chrome OS code later this year, and adds that it's already in talks with multiple OEMs to ensure computers featuring the operating system are made available to consumers in the second half of 2010.
The Mountain View, California-based company has become something of a long-term nemesis for rival software-giant Microsoft, and already offers a free online suite of applications designed as an alternative to Microsoft's Office. In recent months, Microsoft has fired back at Google with a multi-million dollar investment in Bing - a search engine it hopes will release Google's dominant hold on the lucrative search market.
Given the history, it'll come as little surprise to hear that Google now has plans to challenge Microsoft's core business - the PC operating system.
Senior Google representatives have often lambasted Windows operating systems, and the message being delivered to Microsoft with the Google Chrome OS is unmistakable - "we hear a lot from our users and their message is clear — computers need to get better," says Google.
Highlighting the perceived weaknesses of Windows software, Google has revealed that its Chrome OS will be "fast and lightweight" with the ability to "start up and get you onto the web in a few seconds". It adds that the software's user interface will remain minimal, with the focus instead lying on a web-based experience. Chrome OS will be based on a Linux kernel, and applications will be built on current web standards - resulting in compatibility with all applications developed using common web technologies.
Keeping its sights set on Windows, Google insists that Chrome OS users won't "have to deal with viruses, malware and security updates. It should just work". Hoping to unsettle an ultra-portable market dominated largely by Intel processors and Microsoft software, Google - to the delight, surely, of NVIDIA and Qualcomm - also adds that its Chrome OS will run on both x86 and ARM processors.
However, Despite Google's bold ambitions, overthrowing Windows as the dominant force in PC operating systems is no small challenge. To date, Google's Chrome web browser has failed to claim large chunks of market share occupied by the likes of Microsoft's Internet Explorer and Mozilla's Firefox. Similarly, the Chrome OS will be faced with an uphill struggle - but they say choice is a good thing, and we're looking forward to seeing what a Google operating system has to offer.
