The raging success of the netbook phenomenon has caught most companies by surprise — and no doubt played a role in Google’s announcement of its Chrome OS far in advance of its release next year. Google says Chrome OS will be “fast and lightweight, to start up and get you onto the web in a few seconds,” a primary goal for netbook users. The OS is expected to be largely based on the Chrome browser technology. All indications from Google so far have shown it to be a no-frills type of operating system, with a bare-bones interface optimized for performance. While this sounds good on the surface, the search giant must take certain steps to get mainstream consumers to adopt it and to make it a viable competitor to Windows, which already has a strong foothold on the netbook market.
Because the first netbooks ran under the Linux banner, mainstream consumers, who were used to the look and feel of Windows, were largely put off by an OS that was unfamiliar to them. Thus, the switch to Windows on netbooks triggered widespread adoption of the devices. Netbook sales grew sevenfold year-over-year in the first quarter of 2009. Windows XP is now the main OS used on netbooks, and Windows 7 is expected to be a promising successor for the machines when it launches in October. (Vista proved to be less optimized for netbooks.) But Google’s Chrome OS could fall prey to the same consumer hesitation that Linux experienced with netbooks, and the company needs to combat that from the beginning.
What Google Must Do
The first thing that Google can do to overcome consumer hesitation is to make the Chrome OS interface better than Windows. It must be easier to use — and while Google is famous for the simple graphical design of its web programs, it must make Chrome attractive. A modern, pretty UI will go far in attracting consumer interest, while a plain-Jane interface such as the Google search home page could drive people away. Consumers tend to gravitate to an attractive interface, particularly when a trusted brand is an option, and that applies to the netbook space as well. Windows XP is dated in appearance, and Google can easily make an interface that is more attractive. Netbooks will start appearing with the sleeker Windows 7 (compared with XP) a solid year prior to the Chrome OS launch, so Google must take that into account. While Chrome’s new interface will be unfamiliar to consumers, the Google brand is trusted and can be pitched to overcome consumer fear of something new. Google should be pitching the Chrome browser now, in readiness for the launch of Chrome OS.
If Apple continues to avoid the netbook segment, Apple users should be a ready market for Chrome netbooks. However, Google continues to drag it’s feet with OS X versions of its products. My netbook came with Ubuntu 8.2, and I was astonished to find there was no VNC client available that would connect to the Leopard screen sharing server. I quickly turned the netbook into a hackintosh. Chrome needs simple, reliable integration with Apple file and screen sharing. It should fully support Bonjour, and Google should encourage the development of applications like Airfoil for Chrome. It can do the same for Windows 7 integration, but I couldn’t care less.
You’re right, of course. Both about what Google needs to do and especially about their constant feet dragging for OS X versions.
I hear what you are saying Derek. My comments were based on conversations with a number of “regular” people, non-techies, who expressed loathing and downright fear of browser-based apps.
Good points. Though I question:
“Google apps that drive the company’s success, Gmail, Calendar, Tasks, Contacts, and so on, are web-based, and are accessed through the browser. This may be a liability with Chrome OS, as consumers are used to having a separate program for email, tasks, calendar and even document editing/creating.”
Even the current Chrome browser runs each window as a separate process on the OS, and each process runs in a separate window, which offers the familiar customer experience you describe. Also, Chrome can run these web apps in “app mode”, which allows them to be started from a familiar shortcut and hides the common browser controls so it looks like a dedicated installed program.
Add in HTML5’s cache ability to power web apps while offline, and you can see that browser-based apps will soon quite closely resemble their desktop brethren, and luddites won’t really even need to know they’re “in the cloud”.
Derek Kerton
The Kerton Group