GoogleOS? Nah. GoogleTerm and GooglePhone? Yes!
In this article entitled “GoogleOS: What To Expect?“, its gives three (3) possible scenarios about a future GoogleOS.
- Web-based Desktop OS. This is made possible because of AJAX technology and a lot of companies are already trying to develop and OS with this in mind.
- A Full Linux Distribution. This scenarios assumes Google will want to compete for Desktop eyeballs by distributing an entirely free operating system and putting in whatever it sees fit.
- A Lightweight Linux Distribution and BIOS. This scenario is more like the first. Save for the fact, that this one will not be a full operating system but a think client to Google.
Here is the author’s conclusions:
We believe that everything will become much clearer in the following 6 months. Microsoft will put pressure on Google with its Vista OS, which will receive relatively high adoption just like any other new Windows release (although probably not as high as historically Microsoft has enjoyed!). As Vista’s adoption increases, so will the adoption of its default search engine Live Search. From Microsoft’s perspective, this will have a positive effect on all Live and MSN sites. What end users are looking for is ease-of-use and satisfactory experiences - which in a lot of cases starts from the Vista OS.
In that scenario, Google’s usage rates may be negatively affected. So we predict at that point, Google will start a more punchy strategy - pushing Firefox and some form of Google OS. Yahoo! has already responded to the Microsoft threat in a friendly fashion, by offering a customized IE7 for its users. But we think Google will be more aggressive and competitive and will push their own OS. The GoogleOS may be a reality within 6 months!
Are these the only approaches? In order to get a better sense of the conflict, I feel that we should first look into what Google wants. What does Google want anyway? Well, the obvious answer (i could still be wrong) is advertising real estate. Google wants more and more space to put their adverstisments. They want more and more of the user’s mindshare. And this mindshare is being threated by MS Windows Vista right? Then we can conclude that Google wants an OS. Correct?
Well maybe, Google does not really need a full OS. It probably only needs bigger advertising platforms. How can Google do this? The obvious answer again is to give advertising subsidized platforms such as Computers, Mobile Phones, Cars, Billboards and others. So they should start with the 2 easiest platforms: the Computer (aka The Third Screen) and the Mobile (aka the Fourth Screen). Google need to build these two (2) platforms with whatever technology is cheapest and give them away for free (or at a minimum cost or with a Google Apps service subscription). Imagine a company paying Google for a subscription service then Google provides GoogleTerms with connectivity and access to all necessary applications and networked services. Google can then also offer the GooglePhone. This will be one convinient and potentially cost effective service.
GoogleOS? Maybe. GoogleTerm and GooglePhone? Definitely!
