Chrome, not Android, the big threat

According to this writer it's Chrome OS that Apple and Microsoft should be
afraid of. Chrome OS notebooks, desktops, tablets and smartphones on the
way (he claims).

~~
Biggest Threat to Apple: Google Chrome OS

We Apple(AAPL_) investors typically view Steve Jobs' health as the biggest
risk to the stock, but there's a potentially greater threat: Google's
(GOOG_) new operating system.

No, I'm not talking about Android.

I'm talking about Chrome OS.

People are focusing too much on Android, which has already overtaken
Apple's iOS in terms of the global unit shipment rate, at least according
to some estimates. While Android is a capable and interesting operating
system, especially given that it's free and ties into Google's plethora of
free services, ranging from maps to docs, it fundamentally doesn't change
the game much, if at all. Its main architectural paradigm has more in
common with Apple's iOS than any fundamental difference.

Chrome OS, on the other hand, is as fundamental a re-think of the
operating system, the computer architecture and the nature of applications
as we have seen since at least the advent of the PC in the late 1970s. Its
pure cloud architecture means lesser hardware requirements, more security
and faster boot-time.
...

2. At some point in the future, perhaps as early as the December 2011
quarter but more likely some time in 2012, Chrome OS is likely to make it
to the tablet market. Given the very light hardware requirements for
Chrome OS, it seems that we could see unsubsidized 10-inch Chrome OS
tablets selling for no more than $299, with perhaps $199 on the horizon.
With Web apps and HTML5 becoming better and better every day, this should
eat into the demand for Apple's iOS-based iPad.

3. At some point in the future, probably no earlier than 2012 and quite
possibly in 2013, Google will likely offer the Chrome OS architecture for
smartphones. They can be made a lot cheaper, and have a greater security,
than any current smartphone. They could be sold free on contract, or $199
unsubsidized/unlocked. The superior security could appeal to enterprise
buyers as well, threatening Research In Motion(RIMM_). That said, this
would also be bad news for Apple's iPhone.

I think the main message here is that Google's Chrome OS is going to be a
hard nut to crack for all the operating systems. Near term, the losers are
primarily Microsoft with its dominant Windows 7 position in the PC laptops
and desktops. Intermediate-term, the loser is Apple, with its dominant
iPad tablet market position, although Android, RIM and Hewlett-Packard
(HPQ_) are also likely to suffer. Long term, the losers are all of them --
Android, Apple's iOS, RIM's BlackBerry, Microsoft with its Windows 7 Phone
and HP with WebOS. Chrome OS is just so attractive and powerful that it
threatens to wipe out much of the rest of the computing industry as we
know it -- whether it's called a PC, a tablet or a smartphone.
~~
http://tinyurl.com/3qrqwwo

RonB
Registered Linux User #498581
CentOS 5.6 or VectorLinux Deluxe 6.0