Google is rumoured to be doing away with Windows machines for its employees. A new report claims the search giant is getting staff to opt for OS X and Linux instead with a big leap to its own Chrome OS on the cards. But with Windows still far and away the most used OS, should Google be binning it?
The FT claims Google is phasing out Windows over security concerns after its operations in China were hacked back in January. A Google employee told the paper: “We’re not doing any more Windows. It is a security effort.”
Google is fighting several battles with Microsoft including the search war against Bing and Office vs. Google Docs. But it’s clashing more and more with Apple in areas including Android and Google TV.
While there’s some enmity with Apple, it seems plenty of Google employees are still big fans of the OS X. Another employee said: “It would have made more people upset if they banned Macs rather than Windows.” Ultimately though, Google is planning to get more and more of its machines running Chrome OS.
Rather amazingly, the FT report claims that employees who want or need to run a Windows machine have to get permission from the Google’s Chief Information Officer before they can!
Around 80% of internet users are using Windows machines. Do you think it’s right that Google is getting its employees to switch away from the Microsoft OS?
