OEMs silent on future Chrome OS support

[Justin]

Google wowed the world this week with the announcement that they would be developing their own operating system, primarily destined for netbooks. Receiving a plethora of mixed reviews before any firm details are even available, Google has indicated that they are already working with numerous hardware vendors to get industry support for the as of yet unborn platform. Vendor support is critical to getting any new endeavor, hardware or software, distributed; so an early relationship development would be very beneficial to Google's new OS. Are Google’s claims true, however?

PC Magazine wanted to find out, and did some probing of big-name vendors that are commonly associated with netbooks. What was found was very interesting. It seems that if Google truly is working with hardware vendors, they are either in the “no comment” stage or so deep within the company that no information is available. Dell and Microsoft, for instance, declined to mention any plans they have regarding the future Google Chrome OS. Asus, the pioneer of the netbook market, also had nothing to say. HP was willing to say they are “examining” the platform, but nothing more. Even Google themselves were tight-lipped about the project and where it is heading, and how it will impact Google’s existing mobile endeavors.

So who exactly is onboard with Chrome OS? It does seem that Acer definitely would be, as they've already admitted in the past that they are working on an “Android for the netbook” solution, which could also indicate Chrome OS. Is Google's list of supporters shorter than they want us to believe, or are people just being silent at the moment?

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https://www.techspot.com/news/35387-oems-silent-on-future-chrome-os-support.html

 

[gobbybobby]

People will defo be interested, but will it work, can google truly get Software developers on board? I am doubtfull at this stage, only time will tell, its been what like less than 48 hours since it was announced (I only found out 2 hours ago) and your expecting people to be saying ''I will pour money into it right away''

 

[tengeta]

Netbooks will likely be the only things manufacturers see this working with.

Then again, I agree with gobbybobby because its literally just been announced, how the heck would we know what its going to best work with?

 

[Mycologist]

@tengeta and in general, I don't quite see why this would only work on netbooks, surely if Google are going for a super-lightweight streamlined OS, it would be pretty excellent for games, as you would have less resources tied up in the OS, allowing the game 'more space' as it were. I suppose there would be the problem of compatibility, but if the purely free open-source community of Linux managed with Wine, then surely Google with their many billions of dollars could make a similar kind of thing to Wine, but more effectively?

 

[Vrmithrax]

They're starting on netbooks, then supposedly working their way up the hardware ladder. I liken it to sticking your toe in the water, see if you like the temperature, then jump in. Doesn't hurt to be targeting the largest growth market in the PC industry (netbooks) as your starting point, either!

And you know, it's really interesting how the early comments and reactions parallel the announcement of Android. There was lots of "it'll suck" and "it could be cool" but most in the industry discounted it as a potential failure right after it was announced... And look at it now, it's getting wider adoption, and is considered 1 of the "big 3" in smartphone OS platforms now... Just shows that if you've got a decent product and some clout, you can forge your own successful niche in a market dominated by giants. If the Chrome OS is efficient, stable, and has any unique or revolutionary features, it could become a breakaway success.

 

[yukka]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8141964.stm

Just posted today on BBC website that Acer, Asus, Freescale, Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo, and Toshiba are supporting Google OS