For some time, there have been rumors that Google was building a new desktop operating system. Initially many thought that the rumors were confusing and were actually referring to Android, Google's open source mobile platform. However now that Google has released a desktop operating system designed for netbooks called Chrome OS, will Chrome OS signal the end of Microsoft's stranglehold over the desktop?
Google's Chrome operating system will be based on Linux and designed from the ground up to run Google's already popular Chrome browser on netbooks. Chrome OS will rely heavily on web-based applications and cloud computing. Users will access web applications and will store most of their data in the cloud. In many ways, Chrome OS could be thought of as Android for the x86 platform, which serves as the base for netbooks architecture.
Microsoft currently claims that 96% of netbooks run Windows XP, which is now over eight years old. If Microsoft cannot develop a suitable user experience for netbooks with Windows 7, Chrome OS could easily eat into Microsoft's share of the netbook market. Will that be enough to end the Microsoft monopoly though? Yes and no.
The irony is that Microsoft has already done enough to end their own monopoly that Google really cannot beat. The way people use technology is undergoing some fundamental shifts right now, and Microsoft has done a poor job of predicting this shift or providing an innovative product to address it. As users move more towards mobile devices, it is clear that Microsoft has no real mobile strategy. Windows Mobile has performed very poorly in the marketplace. While Microsoft does have a tremendous market share in the netbook arena, it is a market segment under tremendous pressure from Apple's iPad, iPod Touch and iPhone as well as the rapid proliferation of Android based devices.
On the desktop, Linux and Apple's Mac have eaten into Microsoft's market share. The spectacular failure of Windows Vista gave many people a reason to switch to Mac or other platforms. Microsoft's stronghold today is in the enterprise, where Windows workstations and servers continue to dominate. Open source continues to make inroads in the enterprise market, however, and Microsoft is under tremendous pressure in the server market from Linux based systems and other open source applications.
While Chrome OS is an interesting foray into the operating system space for Google, it is hardly a watershed moment in the demise of Windows. Microsoft has already done a great job of eroding their monopoly by missing emerging trends such as the rapid adoption of mobile devices. However, Chrome will still be another blow to Microsoft as it eats into their share of the netbook market. The real danger to Microsoft would be if enterprise users began to see the benefit of cloud based computing using thin clients. Were this to happen, enterprises may adopt Chrome OS, and that would be a devastating loss to Microsoft's enterprise stronghold.
