Google Chrome OS Not Just Cloud Computing - Using Apps Offline
Google has a hill to climb when it comes to getting people to feel good about Chrome OS over what they have been using for years with Mac OS, Linux and Windows. Getting consumers to want to store their personal data online in the 'cloud' is a large part of that battle, but so is making Google's apps more 'offline' friendly. Arguably one of the biggest problems people have with Google Chrome OS is that it's a 'cloud computing' device and OS, which means they need to be online to make any use of it.
Google recognizes that this is a major hurdle in getting more adoption with Google Chrome OS, and thus has began to make some of their apps available 'offline' as well. Chrome Web Store Senior Product Manager Rahul Roy-Chowdhury states that making these apps available offline will actually improve their online functionality. As the Google Chrome team builds offline functionality into Chrome apps, it's is having a positive effect on the application itself. A chance to re-write the code perhaps.
Rahul states;
"Interestingly, although offline is very nice in and of itself – in that it allows use when not connected, having offline support is making apps better overall,By following the dev best practices for adding offline functionality the chances are that the apps are going to be better online as well."
Gmail is now available in offline mode, as is Google Docs either from your browser anywhere, or through the Chrome Web Store, and Google is making it their aim to add more apps to the functional 'offline' list as we speak. Will this be enough to push people into a Google Chromebook with the new Windows 8 officially announced? Hard to say, but the cloud isn't going away, and internet connection is almost available everywhere you turn. This may be a temporary fix for Chrome OS at least until 'cloud computing' is an everyday household term in the minds of consumers, just like "iPhone" was 4 years ago.
[Source - techradar]
Follow Technorati