The Google OS seems narrowly enough targeted at netbooks and other hardware where Windows doesn't play well, that it may establish some sort of a beach head. Until wireless access is more widespread I am not sure I would want to rely too heavily on cloud computing for a netbook.
The really interesting thing, at least to me, is what effect this may have on Microsoft and Windows.
Google OS May Force Microsoft to Reinvent Windows Quote:
Google's plan to exploit the popularity of low-footprint, low-cost netbooks could accelerate the need for Microsoft to reinvent the bulky, PC-centric version of Windows for consumers and businesses, as more people begin using applications that live on the Web rather than on their local hard drive.
It could also eventually force the company to develop one core version of Windows that can be used on any device -- be it a smartphone, netbook or PC -- similar to the way Apple moved downstream by adapting its Mac OS X software for use on the enormously successful iPhone, analysts said.
Microsoft has not been immune to the problem of marrying the increasingly Web-centric world with the desktop world, in which applications run on a thick client with a resource-heavy OS, but until now the company hasn't had to worry too much about it.
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