Report: Google Readying 7-Second PC Start-Up Software

Google appears on the verge of releasing software capable of starting up a PC as fast as a television set. The speedy start up software is said to be linked with the Google Chrome operating system designed for computers that perform the bulk of their workload over the Internet.

According to Sundar Pichai, vice-president of product management for Google's Chrome OS, netbooks running the Chrome OS will be able to start in less than 7 seconds. (Source: reuters.com)

Imitating the TV Experience

The idea is to mirror that of the television set experience. "From the time you press boot you want it to be like a TV: you turn it on and you should be on the web using your applications" said Pichai.

The Chrome OS resembles a web browser more than a traditional computer operating system (like Microsoft Windows), but this is done in the hopes of driving more people to the web. The motivation for Google to drive more people to the Internet is simple: there, users are sure to come in contact with Google-supported advertisements and will likely use its ubiquitous search engine.

Chrome OS-supported netbooks will only be able to run web applications and the user's data will automatically be stored in a "cloud" of servers on the Internet.

One analyst, Charlene Li, said that Chrome OS-supported netbooks are not so much computers as they are "web browsing machines".

Faster to the Internet = More Money for Google

Amazingly, Google announced that it will be giving away the software for free, in a manner similar to its Android smartphone software. Of course, Google does not look to lose by their "generosity". In giving away the software for free, the entire web experience for users will benefit their Internet search advertising business. In 2008, this market generated about $22 billion in revenue. (Source: mashable.com)

Think of it this way: if people are quicker to get onto the Internet, they will be quicker to use Google-supported advertisement. In this respect, lengthy load times are actually causing Google to lose some additional revenue.

Google said that the software should be available by holiday season 2010. It will most likely appear on low-cost netbooks that use memory chips to store data instead of slower hard drives.