Chrome OS - will anyone use it?

It is amazing how much gets written about Google Chrome OS and I've just been reading another big article about it. The strange thing is that the product does not exist, at least not outside of Google's development labs. No-one has seen it, no-one has run it, no-one even knows its features. Yet there are comments and articles around the web and in print that predict the end of Microsoft and Windows.

That's going too far and there is absolutely no justification for saying things like that. For a start, Google Chrome OS is based on Linux and only a small number of people use Linux. It has something like a 2% share of the computer operating system market.

Even if Chrome OS is the best Linux in the world, it won't make much difference. The problem is that people aren't interested in operating systems. Instead, they are passionate about applications and so some people will ask "Does it run Microsoft Office?" It won't and therefore businesses won't use it. Others will ask "Will it run Dragon Age, Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 (or whatever the latest game is)?" The answer is no and therefore home users won't want it. A few will ask "Will it run Photoshop?" Again, it won't, and there's another group of users that won't want Chrome OS. The only way that it will be successful is if there is some killer application that people absolutely must have, and that isn't available on Windows.

Chrome OS's market share is unlikely to ever reach double figures, after all, look at the Chrome web browser. No matter how good Google claims it is, it still only has about a 3% market share. It is very hard to make people switch from their favourite application.

What is interesting though, is that Google Chrome web browser has been a lot more influential than you'd think by looking at the market share. It's speed and features have made rivals put extra effort into their own browsers and it has raised the standard of all web browsers. It will be the same with Chrome OS. It seems likely that only a few people will use it, but it will probably have a big influence on rival operating systems like Windows, OS X and Linux. Basically, competition is good for the market and is to be welcomed.

If you want to keep up with the latest developments with Chrome web browser and Chrome OS, take a look at The Chromium Blog, Google Chrome Releases, Google Chrome Blog, The Official Google Blog, Google Chrome Fans, and Chrome Story.