Google Chrome OS and Smart Books - Connection between SSD's, the Fountain of Youth and Lazarus

If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?

Shelley, Ode to the West Wind

With the emergence of Apple’s improved iOS 4.0.1 as stated in the article “Does iOS 4.0.1 make a difference?”, published July 21, 2010 5:35 PM PDT by Kent German, CNET News - iPhone Atlas, now running on the entire Apple ecosystem of devices (I love Biology!!).

Even the latest minted Apple product, the Apple MacBook Air, based on its rather impressive specs as stated in the article “Apple - MacBook Air - Technical specifications of the 11-inch”, viewed on Wednesday October 27 2010, Apple

Also the new Mac 10.7 Lion, the eighth major Operating System release for the Mac, incorporates elements of iOS 4.0, with an apps store and integrated technology for a touch-interface as stated in the article “Mac OS X Lion first take: Apple's next big Cat”, published October 20, 2010 11:59 AM PDT by Topher Kessler, CNET News – Reviews

This is also stated in the article “Apple refocuses on Mac with lighter MacBook Air, Lion software”, published October 20, 2010, 5:33 PM EDT By Adam Satariano and Peter Burrows, Business Week (http://www.businessweek.com).

Even their Tablet, the Apple iPad, runs on Apple iOS 4 and its slew of expected updates, mainly to address “jail breaking” and its now apparent unfettered approval by the Copyright Office as stated in the article “Apple: Jailbreaking an iPhone will (still) violate your warranty”, published Tuesday July 27 2010 by Ben Patterson, Technology Writer, Yahoo! News  and corroborated by the article “The jailbreaking exemption has its limits”, published July 29, 2010 11:45 AM PDT by Larry Downes, CNET News - Politics and Law.

Understandable, as the nascent Tablet form factor is fast becoming a target for competitors as well as hackers. Competitors thus far, such as the Samsung Galaxy Tablet as described in my blog article entitled “Samsung Galaxy - Apple iPad's contender for the Christmas”, have opted to use Google Android OS 2.2 codenamed Froyo.

Even after Google had warned Samsung not to, as it is optimized for a touch interface with a screen size of a smart phone and not a Tablet or larger sized device, making the apps unable to work properly as stated in the article “Google's Big Tease on Tablets: Android or Chrome OS?”, published Saturday September 11, 2010 12:11 pm ET by Jeff Bertolucci, Yahoo! News

Other Tablet makers, such as Hewlett-Packard and their Indianapolis 500 inspired 8.9" HP Slate 500 Tablet as stated in the article “Meet the HP Slate 500”, published October 21, 2010 3:05 PM PDT by Erica Ogg, CNET News - Circuit Breaker.

There is also Dell with their Netbook-Tablet Hybrid, the 10” Dell Inspiron Duo Tablet as stated in the article “We get out hands on the Dell Inspiron Duo”, published November 18, 2010 1:25 PM PST by Dan Ackerman, CNET News – Crave have opted to commit the same sin by using Windows 7 in the name of competition.

Windows 7 is itself equally not optimized for the touch interface, as touch screen Tablet killers were nowhere on the radar of the Baby Boomers [ages 45 to 90] who are the movers and shakers [CEO’s and Presidents], the real power in Silicon Valley. Even Apple iOS, which is a tailor made version of the original Apple iPhone OS modified for the Apple iPad’s size, initially had problems with game apps that were pixilated when run in original form on the bigger screen size.

This forced apps developers to change the way in which they wrote their apps and websites for the new screen size as stated in the article “ iPad Already Changing the Way Web Sites are Built”, published Thursday April 1, 12:01 pm ET Dan Hope Tech News Daily Staff Writer, Yahoo! News.

To paraphrase Princess Leia in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1997), save us Open Source, you’re our only hope against the pricing tyranny that is Apple. Enter Google Chrome OS, stage left again, to save the day!!

Google Chrome OS, Microsoft Windows killer on Netbooks that was based on Google Chrome Browser (hence the name), was a cloud based OS that was promised to make Netbooks cheaper as suggested in the article “Google Chrome OS could shake up PC Market”, published Wednesday June 6 2010 by Jeff Bertolucci, PC World, Yahoo! News.

It was essentially an Industry supported OS that was free, true to its Open Source roots, with apps such as Google Docs being streamed from the cloud, a rather expensive but clever method of Copyrighting Software, as everyone would be effectively using the same apps hosted on a common set of shielded servers.

The Apple iPad and it slew of competitors chasing down the White Unicorn (I prefer call the Apple iPad the White Whale!!) killed Google’s dreams, obvious from the usage of Android for the first bona fide Tablet competitor, the Samsung Galaxy Tablet, as per my article on Administrator Kirk’s Geezam blog entitled “Samsung Galaxy - Apple iPad's contender for the Christmas”

The Samsung Galaxy Tablet runs on Google Android OS 2.2, when in fact only future versions of Android such as Android OS 2.3 codenamed Gingerbread and Android OS 3.0 codenamed Honeycomb may be more Tablet friendly and thus other would be Apple iPad assassins are awaiting CES (Computer Electronics Shows) 2011 to debut their Tablets offerings.

They will have a tough fight on their hands, with Apple already commanding 95% of the Tablet market, based on the statistics from Strategy Analytics as stated in the article “Apple has 95 percent of Tablet market: Strategy Analytics”, published Tuesday November 2 2010, 7:59 am ET, Reuters, Yahoo! News.

Google quickly re-organized and presented their Google Chrome OS as an Open Source alternative to its competitors and even Android for the nascent Tablet market as stated in the article “Chrome-powered Tablet and store may take on iPad”, published Wednesday August 18, 2010 2:03 pm ET by Jennifer LeClaire, newsfactor.com, Yahoo! News.

All of the above not being optimized fully for a large screen touch interface! Cloud Computing is what enables most of the content, from e-books to streaming video, to be readily enjoyed on the Tablet interface, with the cloud being more secure both in term of viruses as well as protecting the Copyright of Developers.

However, ever since the announcement by Apple CEO Steve Jobs in his “one more thing” announcement in October of 2010 which debut the Mac OS 10.7 Lion with the ever popular iOS Platform and apps, geared to be a success as stated in the article “Why Apple's Mac App Store will be a Hit”, published Monday October 25, 2010 11:17 am ET by Jared Newman, Yahoo! News.

The super thin, long lasting 13” and 11.6” Apple MacBook Air, now at an earthly price of US999 when purchased from the Apple Store as per my article on Administrator Kirk’s Geezam blog entitled “MacBook Air and FLASH-based Hard drives - The Quest for Instant On”, murmurings about the smart book have returned, and all eyes have turned again to Google Chrome OS.

Google, not to be caught off guard and sensing the shifting wind and the tide of fortune, has changed their tune with regards to Google Chrome OS. Google CEO Eric Schmidt has confirmed recently in an interview with EnGadget at Web 2.0 in November 2010 that Google Chrome OS will be aired at Netbooks and Laptops with future deployments of Google Android OS.

In other words, Google Android OS 2.3 codenamed Gingerbread and Android 2.4 codenamed Honeycomb (which suggests Artificial Intelligence!!) being aimed at touch-centric devices such as smart phones, Tablets and All Their Children as stated in the article “Eric Schmidt: Chrome OS aimed at keyboard based solutions, android optimized for touch”, published November 15th 2010 by Joanna Stern, EnGadget.

To make Google CEO Eric Schmidt statements sound more solid, Digital Trends Reporter Molly McHugh has announced that Google Chrome OS Netbooks and Laptops with their promised lower pricing point will debut in November of 2010, confirming Google CEO Eric Schmidt as stated in the article “First Chrome OS notebook coming this month”, published November 2, 2010 by Molly McHugh, Digital Trends.

Hopefully Netbooks and Laptops designed with the same form factor, price, features and the use of SSD’s, the Fountain of Youth in which the Apple MacBook Air has been dipped, rejuvenated and redefined what a Netbook should be, especially if it is going to be cloud based, as 3G, 4G and Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11n) are energy hogs.

People, say hello to the smart book, effectively what the Netbook should have been!  This is also a text book case of the Lazarus Effect for Netbook form factor, as Google Chrome OS will raise Netbooks and Laptops from the dead, something which the pricey Windows 7 cannot do. Thus, Open Source has now gotten a chance to come on the world stage, as per the bard Shakespeare declaration that “all the world’s a stage”, in a VERY big way.

Finally, Google says something that makes them sound more organized, as typically Engineering people tend to be anything but, having worked in similar work environments at C&W (2001 to 2004) now rebranded after their 3G launch as Telecom Provider LIME and Telecom Provider CLARO (2008 to 2009) and being the odd duck out.

This is mainly because I am a designer by nature, always dreaming up altius citius fortius (Higher, Faster, Stronger) versions of the Technology throwaways in Jamaica – but most likely because I love reading Shakespeare.

Yet, as I recall, I was the call-to individual whenever problems arise which the non-book centric Technicians cannot handle, my love for the verbose tedium of manuals ever so resplendent in my own writings on my blog.

If these Netbooks and Laptops [smart books] makers in partnership with Google follow my above suggestion and use SSD’s, then the naysayer, such as Yahoo! Writer Ian Paul predicting the demise of the as-yet-to-be-seen-in-the-wild Google Chrome OS as state in the article “Google's Chrome Smart books have already lost to Apple's MacBook Air”, published Tuesday November 2,2010 1:00 pm ET by Ian Paul, Yahoo! News will also have to take a dip in the Fountain of Youth as well

The seemingly out-of-touch Baby Boomers [ages 45 to 90] Presidents and CEO of Silicon Valley, Generation X [ages 26 to 45] who have lost all hope and Generation Y [ages 14 to 25] who are into their FaceBook and FarmVille and are basically idc (I don’t’ care), the Fountain of Youth is open to everyone. Not to mention a little revenge against the naysayer from my former workplaces as 2011 will be the Year of Open Source.

Oh for the Bard to be alive today to see these so-called Engineers befuddled, unable to follow Trends, as I pen these words.

Google Chrome, you ARE our ONLY hope against the high priced Microsoft Windows 7 and Apple’s lower priced yet still pricey Apple MacBook Air, the game changer for Netbooks for the Christmas of 2010, dipped into the Fountain of Youth and returned to us from the dead, like Lazarus, as Open Source takes over Netbooks and Laptops in the year 2011AD.