Ok well stated. I think I got sidelined by the quote I threw up in the original posting (especially the browser war statement).

But the theoretical strategy that you state (the commoditization of the operating system) seems a bit "round about" for Google. In other words, I think it would be better for Google to really make their web browser into a new kind of web browser instead of creating an entirely new kind of operating system. Better yet, a web browser that enhances an existing operating system might be a better way to commoditize the OS.

It is possible that they have figured out a killer app for their new OS, but I suppose that's fuel for a separate discussion.