The disclaimer first: I am here talking about a normal user. Not the one who is a hardcore gamer or hardcore professional. I am not talking about the guy who cannot let the day go without counter strike or the guy whose photos do not get finished without Photoshop.
I am talking about the regular Joe who wakes up in the morning and the first thing that happens on a laptop is a browser, that too specifically, Facebook, Gmail or Twitter. The guy who is connected to all the other regular Joe’s and who is the gold mine of data that every company is after.
Now, the question that why this question is asked and is it obsolete now?
Well, I ask this because a company that believes in this most strongly has recently launched the second version of its chromebook (or is it the third iteration). The first one did not have the success company anticipated, to put it mildly. In blunt words, it bombed.
Maybe because tablets happened and when netbooks and ultrabooks could not survive the onslaught, where did the poor chromebook would have stood. The second iteration though is out and this time with more oomph and ahhs… Google definitely believes that browser is all that is needed in the PC world now.
And the reason why I do not think it is obsolete is because of the the dismal performance (in perspective) of Chromebook. Yes, some people might say it sold, but it sold like Nano. When something that is cheap, revolutionary or both, an average or below average performance is downright bad.
So, the question is….Are OSes important now?
They are in the mobile world. A whole ecosystem is generated in the mobile world around different OSes. The PC world is a different matter though. Except for a few games and Microsoft Office (and one more important thing) everything is online now. I even hear songs on Gaana.com, reducing my need for songs only for my mobile phone (where too Saavn is reducing that need).
Thus, in a way, OSes are reducing in importance. Still, there is one thing that chromebooks missed and that was storage. People love to surf the internet but they like even more to keep a part of it with themselves.
For example, I like to store a few Rage comics I find on net because either they are very hilarious or I have to share it with someone and see their reaction. I know it sounds something that happens rarely and maybe it does. But, the fact that I can do it is important.
Then there is the case of videos. Youtube is fine but we want our shows and movies on our laptops. I like to keep rips of the movies I like (original and purchased) instead of carrying their DVDs. It is good to have a constant internet and upload everything to cloud but still, it is not the primary method I would want to have. And this is what I see the most important thing.
We maybe in the age, when we are always connected but none of us wants to be in a situation when the cloud betrays us and we are left stranded. Be it for entertainment or work this is what I believe acting as the major deterrent. Ofcourse, if a person keeps an external HD to store the data then this problem is solved, but then it is equally easy to buy a proper laptop.
Thus, I think that browsers indeed are making people OS agnostic and it is the lack of ample storage that is keeping sales of chromebook low or only for fancy of geeky people.
Would love to know your views on this….
