He writes "On the surface, neither seems particularly menacing.... Still, the two devices represent an enormous threat to Microsoft and its chief executive officer, Steve Ballmer. The success of Android is rapidly foreclosing Microsoft’s growth prospects as more computing is done on mobile devices. Meanwhile, Chrome OS takes dead aim at its great twin cash cows: the Windows and Microsoft Office franchises" . Google's great competitive advantage: "Google offers Android to manufacturers at a price that Microsoft can’t beat: free."
But further points he makes might give potential users pause: "Since Chrome OS, like Android, is free, it’s logical to ask what Google gets out of it. Company executives talk about the benefits of tying users to Google services and gaining valuable data to help refine its search algorithms. It remains to be seen whether those users will be troubled by the privacy implications and whether Google’s business model will work for manufacturers" . With various privacy suits Google has already been enmeshed in will there be enough people who trust Google (or anyone else) with so much of their private data? Besides that there is of course also the technical issues of having your data and apps in the cloud, will they be resolved to enough people's satisfaction. Still it'll be an interesting development to watch.
