Will the Chrome OS be a flop?

Google has been the father of innovation in cyberspace. They have developed so many advanced web technologies that we have begun to believe that they would never develop a technology that wouldn’t catch on with the web community.

Google has recently developed the Chrome Operating System. The intention of this technology is to make traditional desktop operating systems obsolete. That’s a worthy goal, but the operating system may actually be Google’s first big flop. Google brags that the system is going to be fast, simple and secure. Unfortunately, many web technologists don’t find these cliche statements to be very impressive.

Chrome is not for everyone

If you were hoping to log into your Google account and download the Chrome Operating System, you are going to be out of luck. The OS is not going to be made available to the public. The open source Chromium software can be available to anyone for compilation. Many users are not happy to use an operating system they can’t download. Perhaps they need to adapt to the next generation of web technology, but there are larger concerns for web users.

The concept of cloud-centric operating systems might be ahead of our time

An online operating system is a great idea, but how much computing power would be needed for it operate effectively? Also, the broadband connection would probably only be powerful enough to run the OS itself. What can Google possibly do to address these issues? Not much, unless they want to try their hand at the hardware architecture and utility businesses.

Google may have over-innovated itself. Until other technology has a chance to catch up, the operating system will not be as effective as Google predicts.

Give up local Apps

Google unrealistically expects users to give up their ability to run local applications on their computers, according to the article Why Wouldn’t You Want Apps? Many users are disappointed with many web-based applications. Granted, word processing and image editing can be conducted online, but these applications have not been around as long.

Since the developers have not had enough time to perfect them, users aren’t as happy with their functionality. It seems as though Google might be trying to phase out Microsoft by making many of its existing products obsolete. They are probably going to find that this approach is going to backfire for them.

This operating system may ruin Google’s reputation for flawless innovation

We can never predict how a new technology will take off. Google has enjoyed being one of the most influential technology companies in history. However, this operating system may be a mistake at this time. I agree that a cloud-centric OS is a great idea, but Google would be better served timing its release with the advances in technology necessary for the operating system to work as planned.

The last thing Google wants is for this system to crash the connections of millions of users throughout the world.