The Chrome operating system has been delayed and will not be out in time for Christmas. This information comes direct from Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) CEO Eric Schmidt, effectively quashing any hopes for those waiting to get their hands on a Chrome OS device for the holiday season. Schmidt revealed this much at a Q&A session at the Web 2.0 Summit held last week. He also said that the platform won't be available for at least the "next few months" while reiterating that the delayed Chrome OS is meant for devices with keyboards.

The move to push back the release of Chrome OS devices appears to be a relatively recent decision. Since September, Google had said that Chrome OS remained on track. My personal speculation is that the new MacBook Air and its touted "Instant On" suspend mode could have something to do with it. After all, one touted feature of the Chrome OS is its extremely short boot-up times; but who cares about boot-up time if they can get back to work within a few seconds with the MacBook Air? Regardless, TechCrunch reports that preview version of the Chrome OS is still planned for "later this year" in test form for "several new form factors."

For more on this story:
- check out this article at eWeek
- check out this article at TechCrunch
- check out this article at ZDNet Blogs

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