As we start this new year, I'd like to review a prediction I made in May 2005 regarding Google:
It's conceivable that Google could launch its own PC which wouldn't need any Microsoft software.
I called the speculated device a "GooglePC", adding that Google's device could be a NetPC device which means it would be more of a device for connecting to the internet than being a fully fledged PC in itself. To read the full article, see "Google's Future? GBrowser, GooglePC, Google NetPC and Google ISP" and see "Looking back on Google predictions made in May 2005" for an update on some predictions that have already come true.
Now, the Los Angeles Times is reporting that Google may be planning to release a GooglePC in 2006. From the Los Angeles Times:
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.
Rumors are that Google may announce the GooglePC this Friday. By the way, a globally available "internet device" or GooglePC would be a smart move for Google since many people in growth countries like China and India cannot afford full PC's - since they require the purchase of expensive Microsoft software. Obviously, Microsoft would not benefit since the PC's would be entirely free of Microsoft software. See "Global implications of the $50 PC" for more info.
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