There has been much hype and speculation surrounding Google’s operating system dubbed Chrome, so we’ve got used to the rumours. The latest though, is that it could actually be available for download next week. Is it true?
Some months ago, Google said that Netbooks running Chrome would not be available until the second half of 2010.
Then last month there were reports emanating from China that some devices carrying the new operating system would be available this November, which just happens to be this month.
Now according to Michael Arrington from TechCrunch, the latest site to bring us news of an imminent Chrome launch, an early version of the Chrome operating system will be publicly available for download next week.
Arrington, who says their information comes from a “reliable source,” also says that this early version would lack certain hardware drivers so may only work on a limited number of computers to begin with, which of course isn’t much use to most of us.
“A robust set of functioning drivers is extremely important to Chrome OS’s success” Arrington said.
“People will want to download this to whatever computer they use and have it just work.”
Obviously without the drivers, the operating system isn’t going to work so what’s going on?
By the sounds of things, it may only be the source code that is being released for developers to start working on it and not the full version so not everyone will be able to download and use the new operating system, you’d have to be tech savvy for a start.
Regardless, we’re just going to have to wait and see but a question on many people’s minds is, is there anything special about Google Chrome Operating System and will it knock Microsoft off it’s high perch?
Google’s Chrome will rely on many cloud based applications via the internet so the good news is you won’t need a particularly powerful computer but you will need a good Internet connection.
As to whether Google’s Chrome can realistically rival Microsoft’s Windows, well as far as Netbooks are concerned, it just might make a massive difference.
Netbooks are web machines that don’t have a lot of power or storage, Googles Chrome is essentially a web operating system that doesn’t need either, and the two may well turn out to be perfect partners.
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