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Message: <blockquote data-quote="lkdood" data-source="post: 5120865" data-attributes="member: 92282">* Google to launch PC operating system in second half 2010      * Move takes direct aim at Microsoft Windows      * New OS to power PCs ranging from netbooks to desktops     Google Inc  is  planning a direct attack on Microsoft Corp's  core  business by taking on the software giant's globally dominant  Windows operating system for personal computers.      Google, which already offers a suite of e-mail, Web and  other software products that compete with Microsoft, said on  Tuesday it would launch a new operating system that will  initially be targeted at netbooks.      Called the Google Chrome Operating System, the new software  will be in netbooks for consumers in the second half of 2010,  Google said in a blog post, adding that it was working with  multiple manufacturers.      Netbooks are low-cost notebook PCs optimised for Internet   surfing and other Web-based applications.      "It's been part of their culture to go after and remove  Microsoft as a major holder of technology, and this is part of  their strategy to do it," said Rob Enderle, principal analyst at  Enderle Group. "This could be very disruptive. If they can  execute, Microsoft is vulnerable to an attack like this, and  they know it," he said.      Google and Microsoft have often locked horns over the years  in a variety of markets, from Internet search to mobile   software. It remains to be seen if Google can take market share  away from Microsoft on its home turf, with Windows currently  installed in more than 90 percent of the world's PCs.      The news comes as executives from the world's biggest  technology and media companies, including Google and Microsoft,  gather in Sun Valley, Idaho for an annual conference organized  by boutique investment bank Allen & Co.      A spokesman for Microsoft had no immediate comment.      Key to success will be whether Google can lock in  partnerships with PC makers, such as Hewlett-Packard Co   and Dell Inc , which currently offer Windows on most of  their product lines.      HP, the world's largest PC brand, declined to confirm if it  would sell PCs running on the new operating system.      "We are looking into it," said HP spokeswoman Marlene  Somsak, referring to the operating system. "We want to  understand all the different operating systems available to  customers, and will assess the impact of Chrome on the computer  and communications industry."      Google's Chrome Internet browser, launched in late 2008,  remains a distant fourth in the Web browser market, with a 1.2  percent share in February, according to market research firm Net  Applications. Microsoft's Internet Explorer continues to  dominate with nearly 70 percent.      FAST AND LIGHTWEIGHT      The new Chrome OS is expected to work well with many of the  company's popular software applications, such as Gmail, Google  Calendar and Google Maps.      It will be fast and lightweight, enabling users to access  the Web in a few seconds, Google said. The new OS is based on  open-source Linux code, which allows third-party developers to  design compatible applications.      "The operating systems that browsers run on were designed in  an era where there was no web," Sundar Pichai, vice president of  product management at Google, said in the blog post. The Chrome  OS is "our attempt to re-think what operating systems should  be".      Google said Chrome OS was a new project, separate from its  Android mobile operating software found in some smartphones.  Acer Inc , the world's No.3 PC brand, has already  agreed to sell netbooks that run on Android to be released this  quarter.      The new OS is designed to work with ARM  and x86  chips, the main chip architectures in use in the market.  Microsoft has previously said it would not support PCs running  on ARM chips, allowing Google an opportunity to infiltrate that   segment.     Charlene Li, partner at consulting company Altimeter Group,  said Google's new OS could initially appeal to consumers looking  for a netbook-like device for Web surfing, rather than people  who use desktop PCs for gaming or high-powered applications.      But eventually, the Google OS has the potential to scale up  to larger, more powerful PCs, especially if it proves to run  faster than Windows, she said.      Google did not say how much it would charge for the  operating system (OS), but Enderle expects Google to charge at  most a nominal fee or make it free, saying the company's  business model has been to earn revenue from connecting  applications or advertising.      Microsoft declines to say how much it charges PC brands for  Windows, but most analysts estimate about $20 for the older XP  system and at least $150 for the current Vista system.      Li added: "A benefit to the consumer is that the cost saving  is passed on, not having to pay for an OS."      "It's clearly positioned as a shot across the bow of  Microsoft," she said.<a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSTRE5670VT20090708?sp=true" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSTRE5670VT20090708?sp=true" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.reuters.com/resources/images/logo_reuters_media_us.gif" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></a></blockquote>

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