Sony to Push Chrome on Vaio? Will Any of the Big OEMs Follow?

A story on Betanews states that Google is going to have Chrome soon found on Sony Vaio computers, as delivered.  The beginning of a move by Google to get Chrome into the mainstream may or may not come with this, as Sony is not really a major supplier of computers. A really big deal would be if we happened to see any of the top 4 suppliers come out with Chrome. But then, why would they?

If any of the larger suppliers delivered Chrome, or any other browser, for that matter, as a matter of course, instead of Internet Exploder, the word would travel to Redmond at the speed of gossip (96% the speed of light, it would seem) and the favorable rates that the manufacturer might be receiving on installations of Windows, any version, would evaporate.  The only thing that could help this would be a favorable transfer of money from Google to the OEM for the ‘consideration’ shown.

from Betanews

Google representatives confirmed yesterday that Sony will be bundling the Chrome browser into its Vaio line of notebook computers along with Microsoft’s Internet Explorer. This is the browser’s first bundling partnership, and follows earlier statements from Google which said that a leading computer manufacturer would ship Chrome.

Sony, however has not made any confirmatory remarks.

In the single year that Chrome has existed, it’s garnered a 2.6% share of the global Web browser market thanks to the favorable reviews it has received and its improved performance on platforms such as Windows XP. If Google secures a deal with one of the top five PC manufacturers (HP, Dell, Acer, Lenovo, Toshiba: IDC, July 2009), it could easily push up its market share to third place, behind Firefox, and ahead of both Opera and Safari.

Neither the financial terms of Sony and Google’s partnership, nor the global availability of Chrome-equipped Vaios have yet been announced. We’ve contacted Sony for comment.

So, perhaps Sony is mulling it over, deciding what the consequences might be. Or possibly waiting for a blessing from Redmond, or some other place.

The thinking about this varies with people I’ve spoken to, but I haven’t heard anyone say it is something beneficial for Sony, and some aren’t thinking it would be beneficial for the customer. Customer confusion is the reasoning, as my unofficial survey takers believe that the average Sony buyer is not the tech savvy nerd on the bleeding edge, and the simple differences in which the browsers are approached would be too much a problem for some, and an annoyance to others.

Right now, Chrome is for the bleeding edge crowd, the tweakers, tinkerers, and browser beaters. For everyone else, it is simply something they hope does well, and forces their browser, either Internet Exploder, or, on small chance, Firefox, to get faster or better in some other way. After speaking to these people, I also see that is the role that many have placed Opera in. Many want things to get faster, or better in some nebulous way, or easier, but they don’t otherwise want change. (Somewhat like the older people who want the size and luxury of their fondly remembered mid-70’s Cadillac, but with the gas mileage of the Toyota Tercel they see on television.)

Will anyone dare defy the unwritten Microsoft edict that puts no other browsers before Internet Exploder? If they do, how will it affect the rest of the market? One thing I see is that the browser market is starting to become slightly fragmented, much like the Linux market, and that is not good. Everyone can do a small bit of work, and ‘roll their own’ browser, but imagine where Linux could be today if there was only one distribution, with perhaps the only differences very minimally cosmetic, and the Gnome or KDE top levels. This fragmentation, from the easy use of things like Web Kit, is making things less easily moved along the path of progress. It’s king of like a ‘too many cooks spoiling the broth’ scenario.

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