Chrome may Fail, but not because of this Idiot’s Reasons

Ok, Idiot is a strong word and I don’t mean to call Randall C. Kennedy an idiot. However, this particular article qualifies for consideration:
Why Chrome OS will fail — big time | Cloud Computing – InfoWorld

What Randall claims is that users want a flexible operating system/computer experience. He is wrong.

First, it is a hasty generalization.

Second, the less computer literate are tired of worrying about things like virus protection, software purchasing and installation, system crashes, and all of the other pains that have become accepted in the computer industry. We used to claim these things were unavoidable. However, google’s design allows for a compromised set of functionality with no fuss. If there is a failure, it automatically fails back to it’s previous state. I can tell you my parents, grandparents, and most non-technical people would be ecstatic to have this.

Third, the world is changing. Teenagers don’t use their computer are a general purpose device anymore. They user their ipod/phone for music, they use their ps3/xbox for gaming, they use their computer for web surfing and homework, and they use their ps3/phone/dvd for media. As hardware is becoming cheaper, we are starting to get more special purpose devices. Google’s design is for a special purpose computer that let’s you surf the web, use online applications, and play the occasional media file. They accomplish all of this without the standard security complications, system failures, and malware risks.

To put another angle on this, imagine a company that issues laptops to their sales force. These company’s are in a constant battle to maintain those machines because they are out of IT departments control. Additionally, there is a constant risk of theft and the data loss involved. With this new Google idea, if the laptop is stolen, the data is not lost and is still secure. The sales reps can’t download and install software. The it staff does not need to maintain the machines and if one breaks, they just hand them a new one. The cost savings there would be dramatic.

Actually, if you take this a step further, would this not be the perfect fit for government and high security jobs?? Don’t save anything local, use everything off the web. If it gets stolen, there is little to glean from it (ok, it probably needs some special hardware to wipe the memory when it is shut down, but that is getting a little technical).

I don’t expect Chrome based netbooks to dominate the market. However, I do think that it will be a major player as a new niche for computers develops. I, for one, am looking forward to buying one for every possible relative so that I no longer have to support their computers.