In an attack that seems directly aimed at Microsoft, Google has continued legitimizing it’s Chromebooks as an increasible able alternative to more bulky Microsoft Windows. Most recently, Google announced the ability of Chromebooks to use Office, Microsoft’s ubiquitous productivity suite.
Google is partnering with VMWare to bring traditional Windows apps to its Chromebooks. The apps will appear in Chrome OS “similarly to how they run today” according to Google, and VMWare’s cloud-based infrastructure will help companies run their essential apps on servers and stream them to Chrome OS and other devices.
While many big businesses are paying Microsoft extra money for XP support extensions, it’s clear Google is attempting to capture the smaller ones that are seriously considering migrating to virtual machines and other cloud-powered services.
While it may be years before any cracks do serious damage to Windows, Google seems in it for the long haul.
Specifically, when in comes to cloud computing, Google is positioning its Chromebooks as viable thin-clients.
Could Chromebooks be the future for business? If they continue positioning themselves for a cloud computing future, it’s not a bad bet.