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[Dingo_aus]

From Digg I came across this article http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-predict1jan01,0,3503327.story
(relevant part reproduced below)

Basically a hardware standardised box running a Google designed operating system sold at a standard price in department stores.

Now if they make it a wedge shape, and call the OS Workbench would it be a "new" Amiga? :P Maybe even package F18 Afterburner with it?

If only the resources of Google could be applied to bringing back the Amiga!

Here is the article:


Cheap PCs, anyone?

Google will unveil its own low-price personal computer or other device that connects to the Internet.

Sources say Google has been in negotiations with Wal-Mart Stores Inc., among other retailers, to sell a Google PC. The machine would run an operating system created by Google, not Microsoft's Windows, which is one reason it would be so cheap — perhaps as little as a couple of hundred dollars.

Bear Stearns analysts speculated in a research report last month that consumers would soon see something called "Google Cubes" — a small hardware box that could allow users to move songs, videos and other digital files between their computers and TV sets.

Larry Page, Google's co-founder and president of products, will give a keynote address Friday at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Analysts suspect that Page will use the opportunity either to show off a Google computing device or announce a partnership with a big retailer to sell such a machine.

[nagaflas]

My guess: a custom Google flavour of Linux with a XP or OS X like GUI. Basically a network TCP/IP terminal.

But those are just my two cents.

[motorollin]

My guess is that people will show initial interest due to the low price tag, but will lose interest when they realise they can't run their existing Windows software on it.

--
moto

[CatHerder]

motorollin wrote:
My guess is that people will show initial interest due to the low price tag, but will lose interest when they realise they can't run their existing Windows software on it.

--
moto

I doubt that completely.

If Google intends to market a "GoogleCube" that offers you the ability to surf, download music, media, etc., do email, use other business apps like a wordprocessor etc., it will sell like hotcakes -- especially if it's $200-$300 each.

The average grandpa and grandma couldn't care less about running windows apps and games. They want online access, easily, and cheaply and they want to be able to print their photos they took with their new digital camera their kids gave them for Christmas, they want to be able to view and print photos of their grandkids they've been sent by relatives, they want to shop online, pay bills online, check online to see what movies are playing, etc..

That's not a small market segment either -- that's about 75 million people in North America alone.

If these things start showing up in all the primary retail channels they will sell millions of them. (We had something like this when I worked at AST, except the price to performance ratio back then wasn't good enough to hit a $250 niche.) But these days you can buy brand new AMD chips and micro motherboards for $75 total if you're buying quantity. You can get micro cases for $5 each if you buy 25,000 or more of them, you can bundle applications (yes linux ones if this is a linux based box) for $1-$2 per unit. I can't see how Google won't make a load of money from this.

The best part? They are intentionally shoving it in the face of Microsoft by not including a MS OS -- and can you blame them? Microsoft's Steve Ballmer claimed they were going to "crush Google" last year. :-)

[gurthuk]

I second that - Web 2.0 is going to be purely an online experience. Your emails will be online and accessible from any browser, so will be your bookmarks (www.google.com/ig anyone?), your search history, your photos, you address book, your photos, your word processor, your documents, your trash etc…..

You’ll rarely need to software to ‘run’ client side.