Google is preparing to unveil its own operating system, based on its Chrome browser, to directly compete with Microsoft, reports The New York Times.
However, Google’s announcement may further complicate its relationship with Apple. Regulators at the Federal Trade Commission have been investigating whether Google and Apple are violating antitrust laws by sharing two board members: Eric E. Schmidt, CEO of Google, and Arthur D. Levinson, CEO of Genentech.
The investigation has been ongoing and this latest development could raise more questions for regulators looking into the relationship.
Google says it will offer the Chrome operating system free to netbook makers under an open-source license. That would likely increase traffic to Google’s search engine and might allow them to search the Internet faster. Antitrust lawyers say the FTC will examine the collaboration between the companies using a different standard, Section 5 of the FTC Act, which prohibits “unfair methods of competition.”