Google is planing to add the ability to sync extensions to its Chrome browser.  This itself is noteworthy, but also interesting connotations if you consider the Chrome OS platform.

Support for third party add-ons or extensions is compulsory for any browser competing in today’s market.  The ability to synchronize these plug-ins is simply the next logical step.  Just as it is a boon to have bookmarks synchronized across browsers on different computers, wouldn’t it be convenient for all of the browsers that you use to have the same add-ons installed and enabled?  (Why yes… yes it would.)

The problem of browser data synchronization echos the challenges faced by anyone who has upgraded to a new computer or tries to use more than one PC.  How do you make sure that you have all of your stuff?  How can you avoid having fragmenting your documents and data across multiple computers?  What’s the easiest way to customize your computer so that it’s just the way you like it?

Now consider Chrome OS.  You boot up, log in with your Gmail or Google Apps credentials and you get a browser.  That’s it, just a browser.

But wait…

Bookmark synchronization is built-in.

Google Docs…  File sync done.

Now add extensions sync to the mix.  If extensions are the Chrome OS equivalent of apps, then application sync is in the bag.  Any Chrome OS computers you use would take advantage of your hand-picked extensions, thus giving you consistent functionality.

If Google actually does launch a music service this fall, that’s just one more feature that elevates Chrome OS from a mere novelty to something that’s actually quite compelling.  Simply log on to a Chrome OS computer and you have all of your stuff.  Now THAT’S cloud computing.