Google OS to power its Chromebook laptops

In a bold move Google has announced that it would launch laptop computers called Chromebooks that would use its own operating system – rather than Windows. The machines would ship in June.

The machines will be made by Samsung and Acer, that have been making machines running Microsoft's software.

The laptops would offer close coordination with Google's "cloud" online services and almost nil information storage capacity. The machines would rather essentially feature a web browser that allows users access to applications like email and spreadsheets directly on the web, thus eliminating the need to software such as Outlook or Word directly on PCs.

With this move Google will directly challenge Microsoft home turf of PC operating systems and the Office suite software, a pair of monopolies that generate around $5 billion of profits every quarter for the company. This is a major departure from its strategy of avoiding direct confrontation with Microsoft where it holds its strongest suit, while competing across internet areas such as search and webmail and online document services.

The Chromebook shifts day-to-day functions to the internet, eliminating, what according to Google, is a time-consuming burden of tasks associated with traditional PCs such as installing software and updates, backing up files and running antivirus checks.

"The complexity of managing your computer is torturing users," Google co-founder Sergey Brin said at the announcement at Google's IO conference in San Francisco. "It's a flawed model fundamentally. Chromebooks are a new model that doesn't put the burden of managing your computer on yourself."