NetBook Expert

Looks like Google [NASDAQ:GOOG] is finally coming to their senses. They cannot sell hardware and they are better off making great software. Of course, it is not like the Nexus One flopped. But we all saw how bad Google was at managing the whole thing about selling and the whole thing was a mess for both parties. Imagine the kind of mess they can get into if they actually try to sell Chrome OS netbooks at a subsidized price. Over all, it is pretty clear that Google should not do this and Eric Schmidt agrees. Only, he says that the company probably wouldn’t need it.

Recently, Schmidt gave a statement saying that there will actually be no Nexus II or Google branded Chrome OS netbooks. According to  him — the Nexus One was meant to serve one single purpose and that was to stimulate the Android manufacturers. Google introduced a new smartphone scenario with Android — one party supplying the OS to smarpthone manufacturers. It is similar to what has happened in the Microsoft [NASDAQ:MSFT] ecosystem for a long time but smartphone manufacturers weren’t used to this.

With the Chrome OS, Google is not breaking any industrial mould. They are changing the way the main OS works, yes but not the way this industry works. So Google shouldn’t need to spur on the market for making various different and compelling Chrome OS netbooks. Eric did say that Google might be looking into partnering with other manufacturers (like they did with HTC), again adding that Google probably won’t need to in this case.

Chrome OS netbooks are still going to be slightly different from the usual models. Google places hardware restrictions for any netbook that uses Chrome OS. It will still be free for anyone. And the hacker community will probably be out with a hack for everyone else in a matter days. But as for the Google Netbook.

[via]