'Tis Official: Google Chrome for mac!

Here's the email Google sent me about the announcement. Cheers!

It's finally here: Google Chrome for Mac. Available today in beta!

Hi there,
Thanks for signing up to hear from us regarding Google Chrome for Mac! We're excited to let you know that Google Chrome is now available in beta for Mac OS X.
Here are a few fun facts from us on the Google Chrome for Mac team:

• 73,804 lines of Mac-specific code written
• 29 developer builds
• 1,177 Mac-specific bugs fixed
• 12 external committers and bug editors to the Google Chrome for Mac code base, 48 external code contributors
• 64 Mac Minis doing continuous builds and tests
• 8,760 cups of soft drinks and coffee consumed
• 4,380 frosted mini-wheats eaten

Thanks for waiting and we hope you'll give Google Chrome for Mac a whirl.
Google Chrome Team
www.google.com/chrome
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© 2009 Google www.google.com 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View CA 94043 United States of America.
Google is a trademark of Google Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

Google's position on vendor lock-in

Two words: Data Liberation

While this new blog is new, writer Brian "Fitz" Fitzpatrick says that the associated project is two years old now. Lets look at what he thinks of this front:

We expect to use this blog to give tips and tricks on getting data in and out of Google products, as well as kudos and reviews for services supporting rich import/export features. We think that we can provide simple solutions for liberating/managing your data stored in the cloud, and let you voice your complaints about services that aren't properly liberated.

This is very important going forward because Google has to convince people that it is safe to store their documents online just as it is safe for them to store their emails online. At this point, Google's main challenge is probably not other cloud-computing and cloud-storage also-rans. A significant amount of reaching over will have to focus on the effort to convince users that having their data on the cloud will not be just as good as having it on your own computer, but that it will be better. 

Do you sense any attempts to ease customers into a particular web-based operating system?

(Obvious) hints from the Google blog post

Silent updates by default

And as we did for the Google Chrome browser, we are going back to the basics and completely redesigning the underlying security architecture of the OS so that users don't have to deal with viruses, malware and security updates. It should just work.

I believe that the reference means that Google will feature silent updates in its OS, in line with the offering in Google Chrome. While Google may allow a choice on where to look for updates, chances are that those options will not be blatantly obvious to the end-users. If offered, these options would be targeted and marketed to IT departments in large corporations who cringe at the idea of silent updates. I doubt that Google is desperately seeking a corporate audience, though. The main focus seems to be on the consumer, who won't mind silent updates as long as it is not bothersome or cumbersome.

Developers, will you please go web-based?

these apps will run not only on Google Chrome OS, but on any standards-based browser on Windows, Mac and Linux thereby giving developers the largest user base of any platform.

Google wants developers to get on the cloud. The cloud is where Google's lifeline is. The cloud is where Google wants us to be. The more people are on the net, the more possibility there is for advertisements. Remember, I said possibility for advertisements as there is also an incentive to minimize advertisements — they make people less irritated. They also drive cost per advertisement up, but that's where our wants meet with theirs. This is further evidenced in the next quote where Google is quite upfront that it intends to make money off the project.

any time our users have a better computing experience, Google benefits as well by having happier users who are more likely to spend time on the Internet.

The less time people spend trying to find their way around computers, the more time they have to click on advertisements and bid on auctions. As we have seen with Google Chrome, Google will likely allow and encourage other search engines on its platform, if for nothing else than to stave off anti-trust efforts.

So what is the bottom line here? I believe it will reassure investors that Google is as focused as ever. The clear push from Google to get people on the net shows that Google wants to grow its revenue base by increasing the revenue base of the whole Internet advertising industry (with ~70% market share, is there any other significant way?). This also shows a long-term commitment from Google towards the Internet. However, perhaps the most important news is this: as Google grows and increases the size of the Internet advertising pie, competitors trying to nibble away pieces of the pie will find it easier to nibble away bigger pieces of the pie. As Richard Quest of CNN oft says, "There's money to be made."

Quotes from The Official Google Blog (to be linked soon) by Sundar Pichai, VP Product Management and Linus Upson, Engineering Director and timestamped at 7/07/2009 09:37:00 PM

Don't click the checkout button! Google introduces Google Chrome OS

I know what I am saying will not please many people in the industry. However, if you already have a working notebook or another computer and were in the market to buy a cheap new netbook, hold your horses until the end of 2010. There is an option in the horizon. Google is talking about its new operating system (as far as I know, based on Linux) and from what I have read, its pretty much a done deal. Why? Because Google is talking timeline here. (It would never do that unless it was pretty sure it could meet its deadlines. Afterall, who likes setting deadlines for themselves, knowing they could embarrass themselves?)

Oh, what do you say? You need a netbook and you need it now? Fear not! Plenty of systems are available today sporting Linux or Windows. Spice things up with the Ubuntu Netbook Remix or keep your vanilla OS and try out Google Chrome OS when it comes out in "the second half of 2010". Buy your computer now or hold on to your money until later--either way, you win! Google Chrome is an open-source effort and should not cost you any money at all. Take that, recession!

Read more at Official Google Blog: Introducing the Google Chrome OS