14 DAY TRIAL // Google's Chrome OS operating system is set to launch this summer together with a series of notebooks developed by Acer and Samsung, but the company's plans for Chrome OS don't stop here as, during the Google I/O developer summit, it has also revealed its intention to bring the operating system to desktop systems.
Chrome OS was designed to be used as a fast booting OS alternative for low-power computers and it runs inside the company's Chrome browser.
Thanks to its low hardware requirements, it can run on almost any system without any performance drop and while retaining the fast boost times characteristic to such an OS.
Initially, Google will launch Chrome OS together with two netbook designs from Samsung and Acer, but the company also plans to develop a “Chromebox” desktop later down the line.
This will be primarily targeted at the enterprise market, where users may require more or higher resolution displays as well as to those companies who don't have any use for the portability of a laptop.
Google hasn't unveiled any information regarding when it expects to launch this “Chromebox” desktop or what hardware it may run and settled with releasing just a rendering of such a system which seems to be designed by Samsung.
The recently announced Chrome OS netbooks, built by both Samsung and Acer, are powered by an Intel Atom N570 processor, which packs two computing cores running at 1.66GHz.
The Intel CPU is paired together with 2GB of system memory and Samsung's Series 5 netbooks also feature a 16GB SSD as well as a 12-inch LED backlit screen.
Both netbooks are expected to become available on June 15 in US, UK, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, so the desktops will most probably also see a limited launch in late Q3 or early Q4 2011. (via This is my next)