How Are Other Netbooks Going to Compete Against the GoogleBook?

Posted on 17. Dec, 2009 by Daniel Cawrey in Features, News

netbook So, we’ve all heard it at this point. Google wants to take the Apple route and lock down hardware that specifically works with their operating system. Difference is, for those who are good with computers, Chrome OS is open source. So the ability to customize it by hacking code on a Google branded netbook is going to still be possible, isn’t it? Maybe not on their own Google branded machines.

The fact that this news came out is not surprising. In order to get what they want in terms of performance and usability, Google needs to have a device that works specifically with the hardware that they dictate. The question now is how other manufacturers that want to sell Chrome OS devices are going to be able to get a piece of the pie.

If Google is going to go the route of branding the hardware with their name, how are other potential Chrome OS netbooks going to be able to compete? With pricing so low already, that eliminates any competitive advantage there. The only way other manufacturers would be able compete is if they came up with a novel hardware design that the Google version doesn’t have or if they have their own deal with a wireless company.

Not only that, since it’s now apparent that Google is deciding to partner up with a wireless carrier for internet service, then that means that other manufactures are probably not going to get a piece of that pie. If the official Chrome OS netbook comes complete with instant internet anywhere, is that service going to be locked down by the device or the software? It’s going to be by device, and I don’t know that Google would have a vested interest in negotiating a deal with a wireless provider for any machine that has Chrome OS on it, just their own branded hardware.

I don’t blame Google for going this route, but I think this news is significant because unlike Android, there hasn’t been an official hardware release for Chrome OS yet.