Buying a netbook/computer now you pay about 200$ more just because it has an included Windows/Mac OS. Sure you could search for one with Linux but no free Linux distribution was strong enough to be taken seriously and it's quite rare to find it preinstalled on a brand new laptop simply because no powerful company decided to release a free OS.
Ok, this is wrong.
Firstly, netbooks dont come with Mac OSX, ever, as Apple doesnt make netbooks.
Secondly, MOST netbooks do come with Unix, because Asus runs the netbook market, and they have a free unix based OS running their netbooks. I bought one for my mom a couple months ago, I then wiped it and deleted a hacked to shit "lite" version of Windows XP on it.
If Google makes major deals with computer manufacturers you'll have a choice to buy a PC for it's normal price or about 200$ cheaper with a full Google OS. Picture that - the system could be free to download/obtain for casual people but deals could mean for example 10-15$ per preinstallation of their system from hardware manufacturers.
My only problem with that is MOST people would rather a Windows box than anything else right now because the casual user needs MS Office because they cant use Open Office. Most people are retarded you see. So the people that could actually run a Unix based system are smart enough to buy a custom built machine anyway and save more money that way.
Who buys prebuilt machines nowadays? Casual users. And casual users want Windows.
I ONLY see this working in the laptop market, and even then limited to the netbooks, and that is exactly what Google is doing right now.
Hey 5 years from now, sure go for it, we'll see where the game is once people get used to using the Google OS, but right now it wont be anything major.
Then Google Chrome OS means a strong connection with other services and development of a whole infrastructure for Google Chrome Os users limiting other "important players" in the OS market.
The second biggest problem for Linux platforms is that they can barely run any software natively. They usually have to run them through Windows emulators meaning much worse performance.
If a free OS is good enough, popular enough to make most software developers optimize their programs for it why would people still buy a system for their computer?
I just dont see it happening though. I dont see major software developers moving to a Unix platform if they havent done so already with the "success" of Ubantu.
In other words most people underestimate Google. I think that they're aming incredibly high with Chrome OS and it has quite realistic chances to take over a huge share in the OS war soon after its release. Especially if its innovations turn out to be really that awesome - Google claims that it's created "from zero"
Well its based on Unix so that's a lie.
and will look different and work different than already popular systems from totally different system of 'windows' to 'desktop' which will be pretty much an online desktop.
Which means one of two things.
1. It will end up just looking the same as any other Unix install with just a different "skin."
2. It will be so radically different that it will scare of the casual user.
Since 2. will also make it harder to develop for, Im expecting 1.
It's a hit or miss but if it succeeds it can turn out to be a really massive hit.
Hey, Im all for it. Im just keeping expectations low.
And for now, Im focused on the Mac world for my day to day computing.