Google's new Chrome OS is a direct result of customer feedback

This post is about Google’s ability to read its market, foresee its needs, and deliver exactly what they want. It addresses any marketer, online or offline, so pay attention if you have no idea what OS stands for.

Straight from the official Google blog:

today, we’re announcing a new project that’s a natural extension of Google Chrome — the Google Chrome Operating System

Get out!!! A Google Operating System?

According to Sundar Pichai, VP Product Management and Linus Upson, Engineering Director, the new OS project will come no later than fall 2010, and Google is already in negotiation with several OEMs.

Initially, the OS will be designed for netbooks, and like many of Google’s latest projects, will be entirely open sourced. The Chrome OS will use a web based platform, which is great because it automatically communicates to any Windows or Mac system.

But the best part comes in this quote:

We hear a lot from our users and their message is clear — computers need to get better. People want to get to their email instantly, without wasting time waiting for their computers to boot and browsers to start up. They want their computers to always run as fast as when they first bought them. They want their data to be accessible to them wherever they are and not have to worry about losing their computer or forgetting to back up files. Even more importantly, they don’t want to spend hours configuring their computers to work with every new piece of hardware, or have to worry about constant software updates.

Is Google a fan of cold read?

I think not, though it certainly looks like it. The quote above may very well be written by ANY windows user I know, as it describes major issues of 80% of internet users.

And that’s how Google set itself apart all of these years, and probably will reign for many years to come undisputed: they do a DARN good job listening to what their customers want.

I take that as a major lesson for my entire business operation. In the social media revolution, where users are given all the power to comment, rate, approve, and syndicate any piece of content, gathering and actually paying attention to what those users are saying is what will keep business operating as we move into the social media age.

User-generated Feedback – Fight for it!

If you’re reading this, you’re probably a blog owner, have a facebook and a twitter account, and you receive most of your information through the internet. Congratulations!

But what about your business? Is your business an agent or a victim online? What happens with the reviews posted on forums, blogs, and several other platforms? Who keeps track of them?

If you’re actually thinking this is a waste of time, and that those reviews dont actually speak for more than 0.5% of your customer base, digest this:

Within 9 months of launching the Chrome browser (after listening to users’ needs), over 30 million people have downloaded it and use it regularly. That’s 3.33 million downloads a month. And unlike the stupid Safari browser, Chrome doesnt come hidden underneath an iTunes update…

So there you have it: whichever methods you have to listen, measure, and gather customer feedback, improve it. Preserve it. Fight for it, and start applying it to all new projects.

Heck, if you can get your customers to tell you what they want to buy from you, why not?

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