I think the strategy google is pursuing with Chrome, ChromeOS, SPDY and even google docs is to make web-centric computing more widespread, both among the establ

I think the strategy google is pursuing with Chrome, ChromeOS, SPDY and even google docs is to make web-centric computing more widespread, both among the established base of existing desktop and laptop users, and among non-users like people in developing countries, and people who aren't doing mobile computing yet. Google benefits both because they are well positioned to monetize this type of computing, through both advertising, and fees for services like Google Apps; and because this kind of computing devalues the cash cows of their largest rival. The tactics they are using are to drive down costs (ie give Google Apps away to small businesses, and make it a lot cheaper than running exchange, deploying office, etc, for larger orgs), and to enhance the overall experience (ie make web apps faster via SPDY, fast javascript, etc). Against this background, projects like Chrome don't have to achieve market dominance to be successful, they just have to achieve broad influence. I don't think just delivering better performance when Chrome users visit Google's properties counts as success, though; I think they need to get other browsers and services to change too. I think SPDY is most likely to take off on mobile devices first. First, latency is a much bigger issue for cellular data than it is for WiFi, etc. Second, it looks like Google is going to get decent browser share on mobile devices. If Google implements SPDY in the Android browser, then makers of mobile web apps will likely embrace it. If that happens, then Apple, etc will feel the need to support it as well, lest the iPhone end up at a big disadvantage.