The dawn of the Chrome Age

What in the name of Bill Gates is going on? Sure, Google's incredible ascent in mobile devices -- its Android is now the No. 1 operating system globally for tablets and smartphones -- has been well chronicled. But even as that has been happening, the company's Chrome OS has begun chipping away at the big players.Then there's Chrome's sibling browser -- now the most used web navigator on the planet. Derided as a long shot when it launched in 2008, the Chrome browser boasts a speed and simplicity that have attracted hundreds of millions: Today it has nearly twice as many users as Microsoft's once seemingly unbeatable Internet Explorer (IE), whose market share has shriveled from about 68% to 25%, according to StatCounter. (Three other trackers report similar numbers. A fourth, Net Applications, which counts unique users rather than total usage, still ranks IE as the most-used browser.) The Chrome browser helped remake PCs into devices on which web apps such as Google's Gmail, Docs, and Maps could run faster and more easily, making them viable alternatives to desktop software from Microsoft and others.Google has pushed its web-centric vision further with the Chrome operating system. As with the browser, critics scoffed when the OS made its debut -- "no chance," one tech critic predicted; "doomed," proclaimed another -- and the first Chromebooks were clunky. No longer. John Krull, the information officer for the Oakland Unified School District, says Chromebooks are far easier than alternatives when it comes to things like maintenance and configuring them for state-mandated tests. Since they run only web-based programs, they require no software downloads or updates, and are so easy to troubleshoot they often require no additional IT staff.(CNN)ANN.Az