Google is planning a direct attack on Microsoft's core business by taking on the software giant's globally dominant Windows operating system for personal computers.
Google, which already offers e-mail, Web and other software products that compete with Microsoft, said last night 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 lap-top PCs suitable for Internet surfing and other Web-based applications.
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% of the world's PCs.
Key to success will be whether Google can lock in partnerships with PC makers, such as Hewlett-Packard and Dell, 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.
Google's Chrome Internet browser, launched in late 2008, remains a distant fourth in the Web browser market, with a 1.2% share in February, according to market research firm Net Applications. Microsoft's Internet Explorer continues to dominate with nearly 70%.
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.
Google did not say how much it would charge for the operating system (OS), but some analysts expects Google to charge at most a nominal fee or make it free. Microsoft declines to say how much it charges PC brands for Windows.
