12 Jul
2009
Now that it's Sunday I am digesting the big news of the week -
Google Chrome OS. Right now there's not a lot of there, there. We'll have to see how it all comes to market next year. The devil is in the details. Will it run Photoshop? Or, will Photoshoppers turn to web based alternatives. Unclear.
Here's what I do know, though. There will be more machines in my future, not less. And portable PC operating systems will make this all possible.
Like my friend Om, after five years solely on the Mac I am now an multi-OS guy. I use a PC desktop at work. At home I use a Mac. On the road I use a netbook. And everywhere else an iPhone. Since all my data is in the cloud (mine or Edelman's) the majority of the time all I need is just a browser.
However, the cloud isn't ubiquitous yet, so secure cached data is important. That's why I carry an encrypted Sandisk U3 USB memory stick stuffed with
portable apps like Evernote. But as these memory sticks get faster and bigger, I bet they will start to easily run a full operating system
and apps - and that Chrome will be the first to go mainstream. Expect to see Google Chrome OS USB sticks in stores.
With PCs and desktops everywhere we'll be soon booting more off USB drives. Linux, Google Chrome OS, Mac OS X and Windows, etc. will all run off portable USB drives that we'll tote from PC to PC (or in Apple's case, Macs to Macs). The OS and its entire suite of applications will run off the devices which ensures your data stays yours.
Pocket operating systems won't be limited to USB drives either. Why can't an iPhone or a G1 phone store an entire copy of a PC OS and apps that you access when you plug into something else? Exactly, they will.
So as exciting as the Chrome announcement is, the biggest news is yet to come. PC operating systems will be always ready, in your pocket.
