Google’s new “instant-on” Chrome operating system (okay, it’s not exactly new because it’s not exactly live yet, but let’s not quibble) should be a rousing success with tech enthusiasts, and probably a good portion of the executive jet set. For it actually to have been worth Google’s time and effort to develop, however, it will have to be a success along the lines of, say, Google’s search engine itself.

The operating system is intended for netbooks, those light, small laptops with not a lot of memory but that are very easy to carry around, and Google has a bunch of manufacturers, like HP and Lenovo, who have already agreed to give Chrome a whirl. So it will definitely get on store shelves — as opposed to netbooks running on generic Linux, which never got much traction because no one knows what Linux is.

For Chrome to really take off, though, customers will have to understand the benefits. Chrome will make it easier for customers to use online software and store everything in the cloud; they do it already (Facebook, Gmail, Flickr) but they don’t think of that way. The question is, will they be willing to ditch the familiarity of Word (even if it’s slow and crashes their machines) and their hard drive crashes for online versions of word processors, spreadsheet or photo-shopping software, and whatever else they have on their computers?

Businesses have already begun switching to online software (called software as a service, or SaaS) because it’s way cheaper than having to maintain all that hardware and software themselves.

Pricing for netbooks and assorted online services will be just as tempting for customers (Chrome, like most other online software, is free, meaning no Microsoft “tax”) but unlike businesses, there won’t be consultants whispering in consumers ears “educating” them about SaaS. They’re going to have to take the plunge by themselves.

If consumers start buying Chrome-powered netbooks in droves, Google will have achieved its primary goal, which is to get all of us to spend even more time online than we already do — because while we’re online, we’re a target for the ads they serve.

[Image source: Photo by Yodel Anecdotal via Flickr]