Chrome OS Set for 'Late Fall' Release

The open source cloud-based Chrome OS got a soft release date at the Computex PC show in Taipei, Taiwan.

"We will be selective on how we come to market because we want to deliver a great user experience," said Sundar Pichai, Google's head of the Chrome project to Reuters.

With Chrome OS, software, in the traditional sense of the word, doesn't exist in the operating system. Instead, everything lives in the cloud and the Chrome browser is used to access these programs. Pichai says this allows users access to millions of pre-exisiting applications.

"You don't need to redesign Gmail for it to work on Chrome. Facebook does not need to write a new app for Chrome."

Chrome OS is initially designed to work on desktop PCs, but companies will be able to scale the OS to fit other devices. Google CEO Eric Schmidt has made it clear that he hopes to see Chrome OS on business tablets sometime in the near future.