(Arrington was right) Google announces Google Chrome - the Operating System

It's a big news day in the world of computer operating systems. From The Official Google Blog:

Today, we're announcing a new project that's a natural extension of Google Chrome — the Google Chrome Operating System. It's our attempt to re-think what operating systems should be.

Google Chrome OS is an open source, lightweight operating system that will initially be targeted at netbooks. Later this year we will open-source its code, and netbooks running Google Chrome OS will be available for consumers in the second half of 2010.

Although Chrome the web browser has yet to make it officially to the Mac (and thus I've barely tried it apart from developer builds), this is interesting news, and the Web, blogosphere and Twittersphere is currently going crazy about it.

What's also interesting to look back on is Michael Arrington's statement from when the Chrome Browser was initially launched in September 2008, in a blog post called, "Meet Chrome, the Windows killer":

"Make no mistake. The cute comic book and the touchy-feely talk about user experience is little more than a coat of paint on top of a monumental hatred of Microsoft.... Chrome is nothing less than a full on desktop operating system that will compete head on with Windows."

Further news this week came in the shape of the latest TechCrunch Crunchpad prototype (right), which is looking very slick in its most recent incarnation, and which is a device designed to boot straight into a web browser.

This is undoubtedly going to be a key direction for internet-focused devices in the future, where the Web and the operating system become one.

[The Official Google Blog]

[Techcrunch: Meet Chrome, the Windows Killer]

[Techcrunch: Crunchpad Prototype coming this month]

[Ars Technica who scooped the story this morning]