incrediBILL - 6:01 pm on Jan 2, 2009 (gmt 0)

The announcement probably won't mean squat to the bazillion corporate drones locked into MS office and the need to be 100% compatible and make their IT guy happy.

However, for the rest of the world, the laptop is just an appliance and if Google can ship a low priced appliance that satisfies the 2 basics of checking email and browsing the web, and it's reliable, they'll probably sell a bunch based on their brand name alone.

When it'll hit the fan is when people find out none of their other software works on their shiny new laptop, which may or may not have much impact to people that just need an appliance.

Only one way to find out, ship it and see how many returns you get and/or outright customer hostility.

Perhaps Google should consult with Andy Beal before launching! ;)