Instead, Google aims to deliver small, portable Internet devices that power on quickly and deliver users directly into the browser. "It takes about seven seconds for a Chrome OS machine to boot," Pichai said, "and we're working really, really hard to make this shorter."

Papakipos demonstrated Chrome OS running on "an off-the-shelf [Asus] Eee PC," but he declined to cite the specific model number, explaining that it was unimportant.

Google doesn't expect users to download Chrome OS and install it on their current PCs. Instead, it will come pre-installed on new, netbook-like devices. "You will have to go and buy a Chrome OS device," Pichai said.

According to Pichai, while today's Chrome OS runs on the current generation of netbooks, Google is working closely with hardware partners to produce its own devices that manufacturers can use as reference designs for Chrome OS-based products.

When the first wave of Chrome OS devices appears next year, they will be small computers in a familiar clamshell form factor, Pichai said, with a screen, a touchpad, and a full-size keyboard. They won't be phones or tablets -- but they also won't have hard drives. "We support only solid-state drives," Pichai said. That insistence on SSDs could help reduce power consumption and contribute to fast startup times.