Will we see a Google OS?

I’ve had this hunch for a while that Google will eventually perform an end run around Microsoft and suddenly release a personal computer operating system of their own to compete with Windows. Compared to Windows, it would be very simplified and small, and would be centered around web applications. I would welcome such a product.

It’s interesting to speculate how a Google OS would work. It would obviously rely on access to the web and would presumably use Google apps like gmail, Google Docs & Sheets, and Picasa. I speculate Google would use either a brand new written-from-the-ground-up operating system or a modified variant of Linux. It would boot very quickly right into a web browser. The web browser would be like the “desktop” on Windows machines. All Google PCs would come with network access built-in.

The big question is whether the device would provide an offline mode. Especially for portable models, it seems like users might want to access their documents and emails even when they’re not connected to the Internet. But eliminating local caching would greatly simplify things and would even eliminate the need for a hard drive (the minimal local storage needed could be served with flash memory).

Here’s the really interesting part: the operating system would be free. Google would provide the OS without charge because it will be supported by advertising. While you’re using your applications, non-obtrusive ads will be displayed that are relevant to what you’re doing. The hardware would be very inexpensive. Because the OS is lightweight and most of the processing occurs on Internet servers, a minimal amount of processing power and memory is required. The typical low-end personal computer being sold today would be more than enough power. It could give back a purpose to all those older computers that today are feeling sluggish under Windows.