It was a little over a year ago that Google introduced Chrome. The aim was to create a much more efficient Internet browsing experience. Given the fact that they now have more than 40 million active users, it’s safe to say they have accomplished that goal. However, Google isn’t going to stop there.

They now have plans to release an Operating System (or OS) in the second half of 2010. The goal, once again, is efficiency. This time, however, it’s aimed at getting personal computer users (or PC users) ON to the Internet much faster. Google has recognized that most PC owners only press the power button for one thing; the Internet.

For some owners it can take minutes to turn on their PC before they have the opportunity to open their email. This is a waste of time. In fact, much of the items your computer is loading throughout the boot process are never even used! Again, this is a waste of time. Google, in an effort to reduce wait times, has created an OS for PC users that will bypass all of the unnecessary hoopla and get right to the point -- the Internet. They call it Chromium OS.

The beautiful part about Chromium OS is that it will only take 4 seconds to boot-up your PC! Unbelievable? Take a look:

Anyone familiar with the Internet, knows about Google. The word is ubiquitous. You check your Gmail. You watch a movie on Google Video. You check the headlines with Google News. You speak to friends and family with Google (Video) Chat. You use Google Maps. You Google and have been Googled. When a company’s name is used as a verb, you can bet it’s top dog in its industry. Well, almost anyway.

Many people aren’t familiar with the name Baidu. Baidu is a search engine that provides an index of over 740 million web pages, 80 million images, and 10 million multi-media files. Baidu is Chinese for “hundreds of times”. Baidu’s content is controlled by the People’s Republic of China. Baidu maintains a 59% share of the Chinese market.

Google is in 2nd place with only 30%.

Recently the 2 companies have made joint headlines because Google has suggested it’s bowing out of China altogether. This would mean big things for Baidu as the fragmented audience carries with it an inherent value of $500 million. That $500 million, believe it or not, only accounts for 2% of Google’s overall revenue. In other words, it’s rice.

Google insists this is about censorship, and the recent hacking of intellectual property. While those are 2 very valid issues, the question remains; who cares? The truth is that there is no reason for a company like Google to toil away with something that accounts for only 2% of it’s total revenue. Forget the headache, and concentrate on other things – like, launching a mobile phone.

That’s all it’s about. Money. That’s it. Much like the Republic of China serving it’s people, so too does Google of it’s investors. Former head of Google China has said that there was no way anyone could surpass Baidu in the market. As a corporation responsible for the wealth of it’s investors, it’s time to pull out. That’s all there is to it.

Tone down the moral and human rights victory talk.

Sorry Google, you’ve been Baidu-ed.