Google Chrome OS Intended for Netbooks, Not Tablets
One of the big questions surrounding the new tablet market is what sort of operating system is best suited for tablets. Some have speculated that Google's lightweight Chrome OS would be a good fit. But Google says that won't happen.
In an interview, Google senior product manager Anders Sandholm said in no uncertain terms that Google is aiming specifically for the netbook market with Chrome OS.
"What we are focusing on is netbooks in terms of form-factor and providing a really good experience for that," said Sandholm. "Chrome OS is, of course, an open source project and there are different experiments in things like touch and other form-factors, so we are looking into that but there's nothing new to announce there."
This makes sense, given that a Google operating system, Android, is already a heavy contender in the tablet market . There are over 20 Android tablets planned for release in the near future, so Google doesn't need to promote Chrome OS in that market.
Chrome OS is more of a browser than an operating system. It boots straight to a browser and doesn't use other software, simply apps and Web services to complete all the tasks normally done by software in other operating systems.
The ongoing efforts behind Chrome OS also indicates Google sees a long term future for the miniaturized laptops, despite naysayers who think the netbook market will collapse soon due to the rise of mobile phone computing .
