Hardware 2.0

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

No Google Chrome OS devices for at least the "next few months"

By Adrian Kingsley-Hughes | November 22, 2010, 1:54pm PST

Hoping to get your hands on a Google Chrome OS-powered device over the holidays? Forget about it! Google CEO Eric Schmidt has killed that dream stone dead.

Speaking to journalists during a Q&A session at the Web 2.0 Summit on November 15th, Schmidt said that devices running the new platform won’t be available for at least the “next few months.”

Google misses the critical holiday period.

We first heard about Chrome OS back in July of 2009, and Google went as far as to announce a whole raft of hardware partners. Later that year (November 19th) Google had a further announcement, unveiling more details about the OS. Back then Google claimed that the OS was a year away …

… fast forward a year later and there’s a last-minute announcement that Chrome OS has been mysteriously delayed.

So far Google is silent as to the reason for the delay, and OEMs aren’t saying anything either on or off the record.

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Google Inc., Operating System, Google Chrome, Operating Systems, Software, Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes is an internationally published technology author who has devoted over a decade to helping users get the most from technology.

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RE: No Google Chrome OS devices for at least the

MikeJason 28th Sep

Since Google Chrome OS is aimed at users who spend most of their computer time on the Internet, the only application on the device is a browser incorporating a media player and a file manager. car title loan

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Poor DonnieBoy!

bitcrazed 22nd Nov 2010

Poor DonnieBoy ... what WILL he do during Xmas this year now that his holy grail isn't shipping in time?

Poor chap.

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Maybe he'll but a netbook just to put Chrome OS on it

Michael Alan Goff Updated - 22nd Nov 2010

or maybe he'll get an Android Tablet.

(You can get Chrome OS, it just isn't ready for prime time yet)

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I'm surprised he isn't here yet

Cylon Centurion 22nd Nov 2010

@bitcrazed

Spamming the board with bull. Usually any blog mentioning "Google", he is on like horse flies on dog.... well you know.

Eitherway, to pre-empt him, no it won't kill Windows
People won't be switching to it in droves
It won't kill Office
blah, blah, blah...

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RE: No Google Chrome OS devices for at least the

tonymcs@... 22nd Nov 2010

@bitcrazed

What he always does. Download another distro, recompile another very trailing edge app and dream of all the modern software and games he can't have.

But let me step in for him.

Google only delays things to make them more AWESOME!!!

Let me guess, it's another beta?

wink

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ChromeOS is probably not for me, as I can probably not use it as a

DonnieBoy 22nd Nov 2010

deveopment platform. I am more interested in seeing how it works for the typical non-technical user. I might eventually buy a ChromeOS box, as an extra browsing station to have in the house, but not in a big hurry. Thanks for your true felt concern in any case!!!!!

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Come on DB, you're no developer

John Zern 22nd Nov 2010

so it doesn't matter what you use happy

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John Zern: Yes, it does matter what I use. Currently Ubuntu works VERY well

DonnieBoy 23rd Nov 2010

for what I need to do. I develop software in C/C++ that runs on Linux/Unix. Ubuntu works very well for that.

Now, for an extra PC in the house for people to use to do email, facebook, music, watch videos, etc, a ChromeOS computer might be just the thing. Very secure, very functional. Google will make sure that it comes with all the codecs required.

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Holy Grail? I think it's called "vaporware" at the moment

John Zern 22nd Nov 2010

bitcrazed, as it was due out now, but its just vaporware right now.

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It is not vaporware

Michael Alan Goff 23rd Nov 2010

http://getchrome.eu/

It just isn't ready for prime time yet.

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Still guys, try to calm down. a delay of a couple of months is NOTHING

DonnieBoy 23rd Nov 2010

compared to the YEARS that Vista was late. If ChromeOS really comes out years late, bloated, buggy, and insecure, like Vista, then you can start screaming about how bad ChromeOS is, and I will join you, as I have in criticizing the current crop of Android tablets, and how Gingerbread is late.

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RE: No Google Chrome OS devices for at least the

daengbo 23rd Nov 2010

@goff256
That's not the real ChromeOS, which has no desktop or other apps. Get the real deal here:
http://chromeos.hexxeh.net

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My point still remains

Michael Alan Goff 23rd Nov 2010

That you can get it, ergo.... not vaporware.

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Why do we even need it?

Cylon Centurion 22nd Nov 2010

And who in their right mind would trust Google of all companies with their data?

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Given that people trust Google more than Microsoft, quite a few will trust.

DonnieBoy 23rd Nov 2010

People use Google for search because they trust Google. Windows propeller heads screaming loudly that Google can not be trusted is largely ignored by the masses.

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I use Google from time to time, and I don't trust them...

adornoe@... 23rd Nov 2010

Using a product or a service does not mean that you trust them.

Google is like the national highway system, where people who have become familiar with it would be very hesitant about using a set of newly developed roads. It takes time for people to familiarize themselves with the alternatives and gain trust. However, people already know Google, and a great many of them are leery of Google, but, since it's still the biggest game in town and people are familiar with it, it will continue to be used.

Google became the number 1 search engine way before baby Bing was even a twinkle on father Ballmer's eyes. Having a huge head start means the people will use what there is, and especially when what "there is" is the biggest. It's not a matter of trust; it's a matter of using what people have become familiar and "comfortable" with, even though people suspect that their data and search habits are being recorded and exploited.

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You have your answer

Cylon Centurion 23rd Nov 2010

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Google is finding out...

Qbt 22nd Nov 2010

Google is currently in the process of finding out that you can't just whip together an OS in a year or two that is going to replace Windows. Especially since basically you are saying that it will be a subset of what Windows can do, and that you can't run any real applications on it.

How many times do we have to go through this: Web applications are sad substitutes for native applications, and always will be. Only idiots think that reducing your user experience to a tiny subset of what it is currently capable of would think that Chrome OS is a good idea.

FAIL

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Wrong

G-Systems Updated - 22nd Nov 2010

@Qbt

For what the average user does (which isn't play games, or edit videos, or record music), cloud based computing is great. Email, Word Processing, Spreadsheets--these are all doable (and have been getting done) in the cloud.

If a system can go from cold to ready in a matter of seconds to allow access to your data, that's awesome, is it not? Couple that with the average user, and you have Chrome OS.

What's not a "good idea" about that?

Google having your data is no different from your ISP having your data since you presumably use them for your DNS server (psst: I use Google--it's faster).

So...ummm...yeah...what's not a good idea about that?

Final Thought: If you don't want your data being "had" don't use the internet...then, it'll be safely with you...right?

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Extra Wrong

Qbt 22nd Nov 2010

@G-Systems

" For what the average user does (which isn't play games, or edit videos, or record music), cloud based computing is great. Email, Word Processing, Spreadsheets--these are all doable (and have been getting done) in the cloud. "

Until the very first time these same users do want to do something that crippled web apps can't do. Then these very same users will suddenly figure out what the return policy is...

" If a system can go from cold to ready in a matter of seconds to allow access to your data, that's awesome, is it not? Couple that with the average user, and you have Chrome OS. "

Who cares about boot time? Seriously? If you make your computer platform choices on something as irrelevant as boot time, then I guess you deserve what you get. Especially since if you use the computer's sleep function, the computer wakes up within a few seconds.

" What's not a "good idea" about that? "

Actually, there isn't anything good about it. It is a sad subset of what my computer can do today. Feel free to limit yourself though, if you feel that is in any way "progress".

" Google having your data is no different from your ISP having your data since you presumably use them for your DNS server..."

LOL, I can see why you are so excited about Google - you can't tell the difference between Google having your data and your ISP having it. Here is a clue: Google's core business is based on having your data and mining it for their own benefit. My ISP's business model is only based on moving my data from point A to point B.

Chrome OS will go down in history as one gigantic FAIL. Nothing you have said, or anyone else, has provided one single advantage of Chrome OS vs Windows 7. My browser already does "Chome OS". Why dumb down my computer experience to clumsy web-apps only?

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I think the idea is that the future is mobile

Michael Alan Goff 22nd Nov 2010

And Windows doesn't play well with lower powered mobile devices. Windows 7 on a netbook will run, and will run decently. Will it be as snappy as Chrome OS? I doubt it very much, as Windows is a desktop OS.

That isn't a bad thing, it's just a fact.

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RE: No Google Chrome OS devices for at least the

CobraA1 23rd Nov 2010

@G-Systems

"For what the average user does (which isn't play games, or edit videos, or record music), cloud based computing is great. Email, Word Processing, Spreadsheets--these are all doable (and have been getting done) in the cloud. "

Doable? Yeah.

But that's not really saying much.

Is it fast?

Well - that depends on your connection.

And whether the app has been cached or has to be re-downloaded.

And a bunch of other stuff.

Doable is not necessarily optimal.

"If a system can go from cold to ready in a matter of seconds to allow access to your data, that's awesome, is it not?"

Sure.

But that's what I already get. I just sleep my computers, I don't really turn them off completely.

"What's not a 'good idea' about that?"

I've tried using Gmail offline with their offline stuff. Half the time it doesn't work. What's so good about an idea that doesn't really work?

"Google having your data is no different from your ISP having your data . . ."

. . . except my ISP doesn't have my data. I've never used them for data storage.

"since you presumably use them for your DNS server"

All DNS does is map domain names to numbers. It doesn't do anything else.

"(psst: I use Google--it's faster)"

For you, perhaps. But a DNS benchmark for where I'm at says my ISP is faster.

"If you don't want your data being 'had' don't use the internet...then, it'll be safely with you...right?"

Right. So why all the big fuss about the Internet being better?

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Cloud based computing is great. Until...

msalzberg 24th Nov 2010

@G-Systems

...you can't get to the cloud.

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Be a little more patient. They are still NOT years late like Vista was.

DonnieBoy 22nd Nov 2010

And, Vista was only an OS upgrade. After we see the final version of ChromeOS, and how it sells, then we can talk about if it will be a failure. People are getting very tired of Windows.

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Windows 7

Cylon Centurion 22nd Nov 2010

@DonnieBoy

Disagrees. If anything people will move to Macs.

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Actually, they're getting tired of Google

John Zern 22nd Nov 2010

DonnieBoy. Haven't you noticed that a few years back Google could do no wrong.
Jump to today: ChromeOS is vaporware, Buzz was a failure, Gears was failure, Google Apps being passed up because it doesn't do what people want, Nexus one being given away in the end to get rid of stock sitting on shelves?

Street view data collection, you name it: More and more oposition

How many Google products and projects that used to excite people are long gone?

People are getting seriouslly tired of Google and looking to other companies, Microsoft included, to fill their needs.

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Centurion, what do you think:

John Zern 22nd Nov 2010

It sounds like DonnieBoy's throwing in the towel already. It's the 4th or 5th time he's used his new phrase of the week: As Win32 fades, people can keep one Windows box in the corner, and the for
every day use by the rest ChromeOS computers, iPads, Android tablets, etc

I don't know, I think he's trying to talk himself into believing that businesses and home users will all be switching to Chrome OS and tablets come January. happy

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Vaporware?

Michael Alan Goff 22nd Nov 2010

"Vaporware is a word used to describe products, usually computer hardware or software, that were not released on the date announced by their developer, or that were announced months or years before their release. Application of the word usually implies a negative opinion of a product, and pessimistic uncertainty that it will eventually be released. The word has been applied to a growing range of products including consumer electronics, automobiles, and some stock trading practices."

http://getchrome.eu/

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RE: No Google Chrome OS devices for at least the

bitcrazed 22nd Nov 2010

@DonnieBoy - When Vista shipped, the "next version of Windows" was indeed late, I'll certainly not argue with you on that.

But note that Vista was the result of completely starting again with "the next version of Windows" after Windows "Longhorn" was cancelled and the reset button was pressed.

MS learned A LOT when they were building "Longhorn", both technically, but also culturally. It became clear, for example, that they were not going to be able to carry on building Windows the way they always had - major changes were required in the politics, decision making, design, implementation and delivery.

On a technical basis, Vista was a pretty major release too - an entirely new graphics and media subsystem, entirely new graphics and printer driver infrastructure, entirely new networking infrastructure, largely new shell infrastructure, entirely new virtualization infrastructure, restricted User Account Control, etc.

Vista was the sacrificial cow that allowed subsequent versions of Windows to start with a cleaner, more secure, more robust foundation.

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@John

Cylon Centurion 23rd Nov 2010

Businesses won't be switching to it in droves. Not by far. If Linux adoption is low, what makes people think ChromeOS adoption will be higher?

Not to mention, it will be a cloud OS with no local storage. Meaning bandwidth usage will be high. Even now trying to log on in the mornings is a pain, why would it be any better here?

There are just too many negatives to using it that contrary to Donnieboy's beliefs, ChromeOS won't be replacing Windows any time soon.

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Guys, try to be a little patient, and realize that Google is re-thinking

DonnieBoy 23rd Nov 2010

ChromeOS in light of the popularity of iPad, the run away success of Android and the fact that Android will likely be the OS for all "touch" devices. I am sure that Google is re-thinking the issue of having local storage, and also having a Davik based app store for Chrome. They will for sure allow local storage for music and videos.

This is nothing compared to the Vista delays.

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Guys, guys, guys. This is still NOTHING compared to the Vista delays.

DonnieBoy Updated - 23rd Nov 2010

Just relax and wait to see what the final version of ChromeOS is actually like. Wait and see how secure and stable it is. If it enables extremely secure, low cost, computers that do everything the average user needs, it MIGHT be a success. Of course, people will keep at least one Windows computer in the corner for the time being.

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If it works as well as Google TV

JoeMama_z 22nd Nov 2010

or will become as fragmented as Android, they may as well just scrap it.

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As Win32 fades, people can keep one Windows box in the corner, and the for

DonnieBoy 22nd Nov 2010

every day use by the rest ChromeOS computers, iPads, Android tablets, etc. Even a large screen ChromeOS computer would be very cool!!!

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RE: No Google Chrome OS devices for at least the

tonymcs@... Updated - 22nd Nov 2010

@DonnieBoy

Donnie, go to a Windows computer. Ignore the perfectly good browser that came with the PC and instead download one from an advertising company. Start Chrome, maximise it, now don't touch anything any more. Ooooh look you have a Chrome OS!

I notice you don't mention Win64 That's what's running on my PCs. I've used an iPhone, developed on an iPad and used an Android phone and find it hard to believe people can be satisfied by so little - a triumph of marketing.

Unfortunately your world is tied together with chewing gum and string whereas my Windows world is seamlessly integrated with my Windows SBS, Windows Files server, Media Center, virtual private network, remote desktop connection, Windows Live and now my WP7 phone. Trying to get an Apple iToy or (joke) a Linux box into a business is like banging a square peg into a round hole. Hit it hard enough and it may go in, but it's never going to be a good fit.

And when did you become a developer? What platform do you develop for and on? Why would any developer spurn the precise and powerful development environments of MS for last century's best try?

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Just be a little patient to see what ChromeOS will finally be. It will be a

DonnieBoy 23rd Nov 2010

lot more than just a full screen Chrome Browser. It will for sure be able to play music and videos, and will probably come with an app store similarly based on a Davik VM. Of course the applications will be optimized for larger screens and keyboard / mouse interface.

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RE: No Google Chrome OS devices for at least the

daengbo 23rd Nov 2010

@tonymcs@...
Unles Win7 has suddenly become a signed, self-healing system with single sign-on to Google Apps and roaming profiles, I don't think you'll have the same thing. ChromeOS is just a thin client for Google Apps, and very good at being one. Nothing more. Don't compare it to a computer with Win7 at all.

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RE: No Google Chrome OS devices for at least the

CobraA1 23rd Nov 2010

@DonnieBoy

"As Win32 fades . . ."

. . . it's being replaced with Win64. Which isn't fading any time soon.

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Win64 is just Win32 re-compiled, nothing new. Win32/64 is now over 15 years

DonnieBoy 23rd Nov 2010

old, and Microsoft's attempts to introduce new APIs for Windows development have failed.

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RE: No Google Chrome OS devices for at least the

CobraA1 23rd Nov 2010

"Win64 is just Win32 re-compiled, nothing new."

Keep telling yourself that. Maybe someday, it will become true.

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Google Chrome OS

Naufil 23rd Nov 2010

Google Chrome OS powered devices especially smartphones will be a great addition to the already smartphone hyped market ....(techknowhow.info)

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Has anyone posting the blither/blather here ...

daboochmeister 23rd Nov 2010

... actually USED it? Just curious.

My suspicion - but it's only that, no basis in facts - is that their partnering agreements didn't come to fruition as quickly as they would have liked, so that rolling it out now would be underwhelming.

I'll be interested to see if Citrix Receiver works on it.

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I'm using the Hexxeh version

Michael Alan Goff 24th Nov 2010

It might be based on Chromium 7, but it is still nice. It isn't perfect, not by any stretch of the imagination, but it is damn good. The only problems that I am having is that it isn't letting me turn off tap-to-touch (though Ubuntu has the same 'feature' for some reason) and it isn't as snappy as Chromium 9.

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RE: No Google Chrome OS devices for at least the

dank127@... 31st Mar 2011

I think it will have a way to go to be taken seriously as a business alternative OS. I did see in the Webstore an app called Techshare. It had project management, collaboration, remote support and other stuff. I think the company also offers tech support for your business through the same app. Now something like that bundled with Chrome OS would make people stop and think.