Now, we've heard all this before: Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) may someday make its own PC, cellphone or other electronics device. While Google is doing just fine in the web search business, it would be a mistake to rule out the company's possible intention to get into the consumer hardware business one of these days. After all, Google already makes hardware for business and at some point it may make sense for the company to make hardware for its consumers. Why?

Well, anything that can give Google web customers the ability to see more of its advertising -- from a cellphone screen to a new PC in the den -- gives Google more advertising impressions (and clicks) that directly lead to more revenue for the company. If spending $1 billion to develop "green," environmentally-sound PCs means that Google could see $2 billion in advertising revenue over a year's time, I'm quite sure the company would get into that business, if nothing more than to experiment and get its feet wet.

One thing I have heard Google CEO Eric Schmidt say many, many times (and I've referenced those remarks quite often) is that he believes the future of Google's business is in the mobile space, meaning mobile phone advertising and products. That may be true, but it won't happen overnight. Until then, it's interesting to note that Google recently registered the website name "climatesaverpc.com." Perhaps Google will get into the environmentally-conscious PC market before we all dump our cable modems and blazing-fast PCs for those tiny cellphone screens with limited data speeds?

This blog post over at Cnet discusses the possibility of a Google-branded computer. Although this story has floated around the web for years now, this could be the year that Google takes its assault full-frontal to their rivals in Redmond and introduce a Linux-powered PC, preloaded with Mozilla Firefox (and the Google Toolbar), Google Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Desktop, Google Earth, Google Local . . . take breath, whew. But wait -- all those mentioned aren't software programs -- they're web services (except Google Earth).

So, what do you need to take Microsoft Windows out of the picture? Base all your offerings as a software service on the web instead of individually-installed software programs on a hard drive. With online word processing now in Google's camp, who knows what else they have in store to compete not only with Microsoft Windows, but Microsoft Office as well. The one thing that would be needed for a strategy like this is broadband internet (which has more than 50% penetration in this country now).

We live in interesting times, folks -- insofar as the race between Microsoft and the anti-Microsoft continues.

[image credit: suitcoatdays.weblogs.us]