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Chrome OS: "Turning On a PC Should Be Like Turning On Your TV"

John Paczkowski — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:59:51 +0000

Direct from Google headquarters, and liveblogged by John Paczkowski, Google’s Sundar Pichai, vice president of product management and Matthew Papakipos, engineering director for Google Chrome OS, explain some of the advantages of the operating system. This is the second of three segments:

Among Chrome OS’s advantages: Speed, simplicity and security. Every application will be a Web application. There will be no desktop apps. Chrome OS is essentially a browser with a few modifications. All data in the Chrome OS reside in the cloud. Pichai: “We want all of personal computing to work that way….If I lose my Chrome machine, I should be able to go out, buy a new [one] and re-create my previous computing experience easily.” Chrome OS will run completely inside the browser security model, he adds, noting that security is one of Google’s (GOOG) top priorities along with speed. “Turning on a PC should be like turning on your TV,” he says.

Chrome OS is very similar in appearance to the Chrome browser. “Chrome OS is Chrome,” says Pichai. Google made it look like a browser, because the browser is familiar.

And indeed, Chrome OS does look quite a bit like a browser. Multiple apps load into tabs, for example. It also features “Panels,” which Pichai describes as persistent lightweight windows. “All Chrome data resides in the cloud. Anything you put in the machine is immediately available to you anywhere.”

As netbooks become more advanced and battery life improves, they will evolve into entertainment devices, says Pichai, who notes that via Google Books, a netbook can become an e-reader, and through YouTube, a video device.

A quick demo of the user interface, which seems very simple and intuitive. “It just works,” says Pichai in an unintentional nod to Apple (AAPL). An interesting remark: Anyone who writes an app for the Web has written an app for Chrome, says Pichai, joking that Microsoft (MSFT) is already developing for it.

Speed, simplicity and security, says Pichai. We’re trying to make the computing experience delightful.

With that, Sundar Pichai hands the stage over to Engineering Director Matt Papakipos.

Papakipos, too, offers the “we want to make computing delightful” sound byte and notes once again that turning on the PC should be like turning on the TV.

Chrome OS eliminates the bootloader, auto-launching the browser. The OS also auto-updates itself, making sure that it’s always current with security patches, etc. Everything from the firmware to the kernel is secured with a cryptographic signature to ensure a secure boot. In the event malware is detected, the system repairs itself automatically.

The basic application security protocol for current operating systems allows apps the same privileges as the user. This presents obvious security issues. Whenever you install a new app, you’re taking a risk, says Papakipos. But Web applications like those that Chrome OS use are different. They are Web apps so they don’t have system-level privileges. Additionally, all apps run in secured sandboxes that are separate from one other and from the OS. Finally, all apps must be signed and verified before each use.

In terms of file systems, Chrome’s is locked down. It’s a read-only root-file system, obviously quite different from other operating systems. All user data are encrypted and synched to the cloud. Essentially, Google uses the PC for caching. Again, if you should lose your machine, you buy a new one, fire it up and it synchs with the cloud, restoring your previous computing experience.

Google's Chrome OS: "It Just Works"

John Paczkowski — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:51:03 +0000

Speaking at Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference in New Orleans this past July, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said of Google’s forthcoming Chrome OS, “Who knows what this thing is?”

Today, he found out. The operating system, a direct challenge to Microsoft Windows, was on display at a media gathering at the Google HQ this morning.

Sundar Pichai, vice president of product management, and Matthew Papakipos, engineering director for Google Chrome OS, presided over the event, which the company described as a “technical announcement.”

That meant that Google (GOOG) was not releasing a beta of the operating system this week, as had been rumored.

That said, it was an overview of Chrome, as well as Google’s plans for its launch in 2010, so let the Chrome OS liveblogging begin:

There will be no beta today. Pichai says Google is still a year away from an official launch. However, the company is making the code available today.
Pichai says that a year after launch, the Chrome browser has some 40 millions users. He boasts about the browser’s speed, noting that it handles Javascript 39 times faster than Microsoft’s (MSFT) Internet Explorer. There will be three more big Chrome announcements sometime in the future: Chrome for Mac, Chrome for Linux and the debut of Chrome Extensions.
Google’s goal is to ensure that Web applications function as well as desktop apps. Pichai says that the company is figuring out a way for Web apps to safely take advantage of the operating system in the way desktop apps do. A few examples: Graphics, video/audio applications, real-time communication, notification and local storage.

“By 2010 we expect to have all these things built into Chrome,” Pichai adds.
The advent of Chrome coincides with a perfect storm of converging trends, Pichai says, noting the tremendous popularity of netbooks during the recession, the growing acceptance of cloud apps and the rapid innovation in mobile devices. Smartphones are becoming more like laptops, Pichai adds, and laptops are becoming more like smartphones. Is there a better level of computing available for these devices?

There is, according to Pichai, and Google believes it is Chrome OS.
Among Chrome OS’s advantages, Pichai says: Speed, simplicity and security. Every application will be a Web application. There will be no desktop apps. Chrome OS is essentially a browser with a few modifications. All data in the Chrome OS resides in the cloud. Pichai: “We want all of personal computing to work that way….If I lose my Chrome machine, I should be able to go out, buy a new [one] and re-create my previous computing experience easily.”

Chrome OS will run completely inside the browser security model, he adds, noting that security is one of Google’s top priorities along with speed. “Turning on a PC should be like turning on your TV,” he says.
Chrome OS is very similar in appearance to the Chrome browser. “Chrome OS is Chrome,” says Pichai. Google made it look like a browser, because the browser is familiar.
And indeed, Chrome OS does look quite a bit like a browser. Multiple apps load into tabs, for example. It also features “Panels,” which Pichai describes as persistent lightweight windows. “All Chrome data resides in the cloud. Anything you put in the machine is immediately available to you anywhere.”
As netbooks become more advanced and battery life improves, they will evolve into entertainment devices, says Pichai, who notes that via Google Books, a netbook can become an e-reader, and, through YouTube, a video device.
A quick demo of the user interface, which seems very simple and intuitive. “It just works,” says Pichai in an unintentional nod to Apple (AAPL).

An interesting remark: Anyone who writes an app for the Web has written an app for Chrome, says Pichai, joking that Microsoft is already developing for it.
Speed, simplicity and security, says Pichai. We’re trying to make the computing experience delightful.

With that, Pichai hands the stage over to Engineering Director Matt Papakipos.

Papakipos, too, offers the “we want to make computing delightful” sound byte and notes once again that turning on the PC should be like turning on the TV.
Chrome OS eliminates the bootloader, auto-launching the browser. The OS also auto-updates itself, making sure that it’s always current with security patches, etc. Everything from the firmware to the kernel is secured with a cryptographic signature to ensure a secure boot. In the event malware is detected, the system repairs itself automatically.
The basic application security protocol for current operating systems allows apps the same privileges as the user. This presents obvious security issues. Whenever you install a new app, you’re taking a risk, says Papakipos.

But Web applications like those that Chrome OS use, are different. They are Web apps, so they don’t have system-level privileges. Additionally, all apps run in secured sandboxes that are separate from one other and from the OS. Finally, all apps must be signed and verified before each use.
In terms of file systems, Chrome’s is locked down. It’s a read-only root-file system, obviously quite different from other operating systems. All user data are encrypted and synched to the cloud. Essentially, Google uses the PC for caching. Again, if you should lose your machine, you buy a new one, fire it up and it synchs with the cloud, restoring your previous computing experience.
How will Google bring Chrome OS to market? The company is working with vendors to specify reference hardware. You cannot download and install Chrome on just any device, you will have to purchase a Chrome device. Google is looking at a launch window of late 2010, before the holidays.
Google sounds very concerned about the end-user Chrome OS experience. Pichai says the company wants to ensure that the displays, keyboard, etc., on the netbooks that run Chrome are robust and easy to use.
Pichai wraps things up, but before the Q&A, we’re shown a short explanatory video. “The first thing I want to do when I fire up my computer is browse the Internet….If there isn’t any Internet, I might not even use my computer….What if when you pressed on, your PC turned on, what if your operating system was more like a Web browser…what if it was a browser?…Chrome OS is a totally rethought computer that lets you focus on the Internet, which is what most of use our computers for these days anyway.”

Q&A

At this point, Pichai opens the event to questions:

If you’re specifying hardware components, do you must have an idea of what they’ll cost?

A: We expect Chrome netbooks to be in the price range of what people have come to expect….We are not specifying a price target. Price will be determined at the OEM level.

Will the APIs support W3C standards?

A: We’re working very closely with the W3C to standardize as much as we can….In general, we want to see everything standardized across multiple browsers.

Will there be an application store?

A: The Web offers hundreds of millions of applications. Our job is to make people aware of them.

What about desktop applications that are not available on the Web?

A: We expect most of our users to have a second machine at home….Chrome OS is about a delightful experience on the Web….If you’re a lawyer spending your entire day on contracts, etc., this is not the machine for you.

Will you support Microsoft Silverlight?

A: In the case of certain selection plug-ins, we are working to integrate them. No comment beyond that.

Since Chrome is open source, could people build their own variations?

A: Yes. We expect people will do many interesting things with it.

Do you see Chrome running on laptops or desktops?

A: We’re initially focused on netbook-like form factors–clamshells, etc. That said, the OS is being developed to work on other devices.

Is there any level of offline access? What happens when I’m on a plane and don’t want to pay for Wi-Fi?

A: Chrome devices are primarily intended to be Internet-connected. That said, it will have some caching abilities so, for example, you could play a game offline.

Virtualization?

A: Yes. You could run Chrome today on a virtual machine.

Are you working with outfits like Adobe to, say, build a Web-friendly version of Photoshop?

A: We’re very excited by things like Photoshop on the Web and we’re working hard to make that possible.

Will Android apps work on Chrome? Are there plans for third-party apps?

A: [Pichai dodges this one.] If it’s a Web app, it will work on Chrome. The Web works very, very well for our purposes.

Will Chrome work on both X86 and ARM?

A: Yes.

Is there a direct business model for Chrome OS or is this another variation of the-more-people-that-use-the-Web-the-better-for-Google?

A: We are working with partners. No plans for advertising. That said, Pichai notes again that anything that runs on the Web will run on Chrome. And of course, AdWords does, indeed, run on the Web.

[Sergey Brin joins the Q&A]

Do you want Android Apps to run on Chrome?

A: We are focused on creating the use case in which everything is a Web application, but hopefully we can do more in the future.

How does Chrome handle peripherals? Can it print?

A: Most keyboards, cameras, phones, etc., will work. In terms of printing…yes, Chrome OS will print and we’re working hard to make that possible.

What is Chrome’s strategic position for Google?

A: [Brin]: Call us dumb businessmen, but we really focus on user needs rather than focus on business strategies. We believe that the Web platform is a much simpler way of computing for individuals to use, and that’s a very important need in the market right now. That’s what we’re trying to fulfill.

AT&V

John Paczkowski — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 18:00:07 +0000

[ See post to watch video ]

Apple's Tablet: Read Different?

John Paczkowski — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:57:27 +0000

To be taken with a grain of salt: Apple’s (AAPL) long-rumored tablet will arrive at market early next year and will feature a 10.6-inch panel designed with e-books in mind. This according to the occasionally accurate DigiTimes.

“Foxconn Electronics (Hon Hai Precision Industry) will be the manufacturing partner for an upcoming tablet PC device from Apple, according to market sources,” the publication claims. “The sources indicated they believe the tablet PC features will focus more on e-book functionality rather than music, and that based on Apple’s marketing strategy, long battery life, quick Internet connectivity and an easy-to-use user interface will be key features of the device.”

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The Motorola CLIQ: WINR or LOZR?

John Paczkowski — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 19:30:51 +0000

Motorola has finally announced its bet-the-company Android handset. At GigaOM’s Mobilize 09 event in San Francisco this morning, Sanjay Jha, Motorola’s co-CEO and CEO of the company’s handset division, uncrated the CLIQ, a device it describes unremarkably as the “first phone with social skills.”

Why? Well, the CLIQ, or DEXT as it will be confusingly branded in the U.K., incorporates Motorola’s new “MotoBlur” service, which essentially corrals Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Picasa, GMail and MS Exchange activity into a single feed and presents them on your phone.

In form, the CLIQ is a sideways slider. Like the Palm (PALM) Pre, the device boasts a full touchscreen and QWERTY keyboard. It’s got a 320 x 480-pixel, 3.1-inch HVGA screen and a five-megapixel camera. The CLIQ is video-capable (play, stream and capture) and supports the broad spectrum of media formats. It runs Android 1.5 (Cupcake), and Motorola (MOT) claims a battery life of six hours.

Jha says the phone is not intended to be a single iconic device–like, say, Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone. Rather, it is the first of a broad line of handsets, all running Android and Motoblur, that will be targeted at different customer segments around the world.

A wise strategy in the current market? Who knows? But at least it’s a step in the right direction. Motorola clearly needs to do something to right itself after the past few disastrous years. Hard to believe the company controlled 16.1 percent of the global handset market just two years ago. It’s market share today? A modest 6.5 percent. The CLIQ will be sold through T-Mobile in the United States.

The device’s spec sheet below; click to enlarge.

Nokia "Mini-Laptop": Like a Netbook, but With a Completely Different Name

John Paczkowski — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 16:28:37 +0000

The world’s largest mobile phone maker has finally entered the PC market.

Not a week after confirming its interest in the netbook market, Nokia leapt into it, uncrating the Booklet 3G–a 2.8-pound “mini-laptop” with 3G, WiFi and A-GPS support, a 10-inch HD-ready display and a claimed 12 hours of battery life. The machine will feature an Intel (INTC) Atom processor and likely run a version of Microsoft’s (MSFT) Windows. Finally, it will support Ovi, Nokia’s (NOK) version of Apple’s (AAPL) App Store.

“A growing number of people want the computing power of a PC with the full benefits of mobility,” Kai Oistamo, Nokia’s executive vice president for devices, said in a statement. “We are in the business of connecting people and the Nokia Booklet 3G is a natural evolution for us. Nokia has a long and rich heritage in mobility and with the outstanding battery life, premium design and all day, always on connectivity, we will create something quite compelling. In doing so we will make the personal computer more social, more helpful and more personal.”

Quite a pledge. And one that Nokia must deliver on if it’s to become a full-fledged mobile solution provider.

“Nokia is not trying to move into the extremely competitive market for PCs in general, even though it describes the Booklet 3G as a mini-laptop. What it is doing is moving to protect its key markets,” said Gold Associates analyst Jack E. Gold. “Indeed, netbooks are increasingly being sold as mobile device alternatives (or supplements) to smartphones. Many have 3G radios included, can make voice calls (via VoIP) and are increasingly being sold and subsidized by traditional wireless carriers. Therefore, it is logical to see Nokia make this move.”

iPhone Owners Would Like to Replace Battery, AT&T

John Paczkowski — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 21:11:08 +0000

According to a new survey from ChangeWave, owners of Apple’s new iPhone 3GS are quite happy with the device. Sadly, the same cannot be said of the AT&T service that accompanies it. Asked what they dislike most about the iPhone, 41 percent of respondents said the device’s short battery life.

Nearly a third, 32 percent, said AT&T.

And another 23 percent said the quality, coverage and speed of AT&T’s network. (Click image below to enlarge.)

Now, that isn’t all that surprising given the swell of bad press that occurred when AT&T admitted at Macworld 2009 that unlike dozens of other carriers that it wasn’t ready to support iPhone tethering or MMS support. But it’s interesting that AT&T (T) is responsible for two of the top three complaints about an Apple (AAPL) product. I can’t imagine that’s going over too well in Cupertino.

Says ChangeWave: “There are no indications that Apple’s AT&T problem is going away. On the contrary, the better customers feel about their iPhones the worse they feel about AT&T–with nearly one-in-two 3GS owners citing AT&T-related issues as their biggest dislike. These survey results suggest Apple will be forced to deal with the issue sooner than many analysts expect.”

“There will be a day when we are not exclusive with the iPhone,” AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson said recently. And apparently, iPhone users are hoping that day comes sooner rather than later.

Ganging Up on Google

John Paczkowski — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 18:00:37 +0000

[ See post to watch video ]

Like Snowflakes, No Two myTouch 3Gs Alike…

John Paczkowski — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 19:00:24 +0000

In a summer of handset debuts that already include the Palm (PALM) Pre, Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone 3GS, and soon, Research in Motion’s (RIM) BlackBerry Tour 9630, add one more: the myTouch 3G, T-Mobile’s second Google (GOOG) Android phone. The carrier officially introduced the device today and said customers can begin reserving it on July 8. Price: $199 with a two-year contract.

Sleeker than the somewhat boxy G1, the myTouch boasts longer battery life–up to six hours of talk time, one more than its predecessor–a 3.2-megapixel camera, a virtual keyboard that orients automatically from portrait to landscape mode and, more importantly, better customization.

Now that the Android Market has 5,000-strong range of applications, devices like the myTouch offer a more compelling proposition than even before. “No two myTouch devices will be alike,” Andrew Sherrard, vice president at T-Mobile, told News.com. “They will be as unique as the users that own them. What we have found is that once consumers know how to customize a device and they add everything they want on it, they respond very well to having a phone that is specially designed for them.”

Yep, they sure do.

Macworld '09: Behind the PhilNote

John Paczkowski — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 19:00:19 +0000

[ See post to watch video ]

Macworld '09: 17-inch MacBook Pro With 8-Hour Battery

John Paczkowski — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 18:14:07 +0000

Next up, the new and expected 17-inch MacBook Pro. Before introducing it, Phil Schiller notes that the MacBook has been the No. 1 notebook computer in the states.

The new machine is largely as predicted. It boasts Apple’s new unibody chassis and a glass touch trackpad. At 6.6 pounds, it’s the world’s lightest notebook. It has a hi-res backlit display. “The best display we’ve ever shipped in a notebook,” says Schiller, with a 60 percent greater color gamut than other machines.

The new Pro has the same glossy screen as its brethren, but thankfully, it’s available with a $50 anti-glare option as well.

Finally, it incorporates a new battery pack that boasts an eight-hour charge life and 1000 recharges, three times the industry standard. It’s not the zinc battery that some observers were expecting, but very innovative nonetheless. There’s a chip in the battery that intelligently monitors an “adaptive charge,” whatever that means. Bottom line: three hours more battery life than previous machines. According to Apple (AAPL), the battery should last five years, which will result in fewer batteries and landfills and makes this 17-inch model a greener machine.

The new Pro 17-inch MacBook starts at $2799 and will ship at the end of the month.

MacWorld 2009 Keynote Photos: 17-inch MacBook Pro

View photos at SmugMug

Apple Working P.A. SemiTablet? P.A. SemiPhone?

John Paczkowski — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 19:27:48 +0000

Macworld 2009 is still about a month away and already, Global Equities Research analyst Trip Chowdhry is frantically turning the hand crank on the rumor mill. In a note to clients today, Chowdhry claims Apple (AAPL) will debut an entirely new device category next year.

Sounds intriguing, yeah? So what it is it?

Chowdhry hasn’t the faintest idea. But he speculates that it will involve chips developed by P.A. Semi, the boutique semiconductor design company Apple acquired last April. A clearer picture of what’s in store for us will emerge in early 2009 with a series of new Apple patent filings says Chowdhry, who contends that a P.A. Semi chip has also been designed into the third-generation iPhone–which will boast vastly improved performance and battery life over its predecessor.

iPhone 2.1: The Fix Is In

John Paczkowski — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 13:08:10 +0000

Apple (AAPL) released iPhone 2.1 at 6 a.m. PDT today, and as CEO Steve Jobs said earlier this week, it does appear to “fix lots of bugs.”

iPhone version 2.1 contains many bug fixes and improvements, including the following:

• decrease in call set-up failures and call drops
• significantly improved battery life for most users
• dramatically reduced time to back up to iTunes
• improved email reliability, notably fetching email from POP and Exchange accounts
• faster installation of third-party applications
• fixed bugs causing hangs and crashes if you have lots of third-party applications
• improved performance in text messaging
• faster loading and searching of contacts
• improved accuracy of the 3G signal strength display
• repeat alert up to two additional times for incoming text messages
• option to wipe data after 10 passcode attempts
• Genius playlist creation

Ballmer: With or Without YHOO

John Paczkowski — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 18:00:59 +0000

[ See post to watch video ]

Apple to Intel: We Shafted IBM and Motorola. We Can Shaft You Too.

John Paczkowski — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 07:44:58 +0000

Apple (AAPL) has finally found a worthy use for the more than $18 billion in cash and short-term securities gathering dust on its balance sheet. The company’s acquiring P.A. Semi for about $278 million in cash.

A boutique semiconductor design company, P.A. Semi specializes in super-low power PowerPC processors. It boasts a rock-star design team littered with Itanium, Opteron and UltraSparc veterans, led by Dan Dobberpuhl, who was among the lead designers on Digital Equipment’s Alpha and StrongARM chips. And in February of 2007, P.A. Semi uncrated its PWRficient 64-bit multicore processors, 2-gigahertz ARM chips that consume just 5 to 13 watts of power, making them 300% more efficient than any comparable chip.

An impressive chip. Question is, what does Apple want with the impressive little chip shop that made it? Perhaps the same thing it was looking for in 2005 when it first approached the company about a supply deal. That agreement never panned out and Apple subsequently signed up with Intel (INTC) and made transition to X86 chips. The switch has gone well. So well, that it seemed almost a foregone conclusion that Intel’s new line of Atom processors would end up in everything from the next generation iPhone to that mythical iTablet, Apple gaming console and next-gen Newton.

But perhaps that’s not the case. Perhaps Atom’s not quite to Apple’s liking? Perhaps, as word on the street has it, it failed to produce the kind of battery life that Apple wants for its ultra-portable designs. Perhaps Apple just wants its own in-house processor design team, one it could use to push its own technical innovations into the market.

Or perhaps P.A. Semi’s working on a new chip so insanely great that Apple CEO Steve Jobs felt compelled to acquire the company? More to follow when Apple reports earnings later today.