I don't know why people on here are so threatened by this.
From my look at it (and although I'm excited by the concept, I have my doubts whether Google can execute), it's aimed squarely at the netbook market, and at promoting cloud adoption for Business and Education clients.
Anybody who has used a netbook knows. This would win hands down. The tiny screens and the tiny keyboards are utterly horrible to use. And Windows on a low powered netbook. Painful. Just painful. And what do most people use a netbook for? Any guesses? A full size screen and keyboard for little over $400? This is a netbook killer right here.
The Business and Education offerings were a different push that got conflated with the public launch of Chrome OS. This is Google's push to take on Microsoft. Google cannot, of course, compete, directly with the desktop. So they are pushing the cloud forward. For some businesses, and educational institutions, this will be favourable. For others it won't.
There's some people who keep insisting this platform doesn't have a market because it doesn't do everything. That's missing the point. Just like the iPad (and it pretty much has the same capabilities), this does most of what the general public wants. Need more horsepower? Get a bigger engine (computer). Some people might find this unusual...for example, all you graphic artists seem to have Mac Pros. But many of us (say engineers who might use UNIX CAD stations) find it perfectly normal to have a light box for email and web and a powerhouse (often a shared resource) for heavy design work. Chrome OS is targeting that web and email box. The obvious difference between this and a tablet being the fact that it functions like a full-fledged laptop.
And also talk about what apps will it have. Again, missing the point. Apps may be developed down the road. But initially this is aimed at companies and educational institutions. If they want to deploy a solution like this, they'll obviously be making sure the apps they run are available (or will probably build it themselves).
I don't know where you folks work, but in my office, I have an XP machine on my desk that's about 3 years old. The thing takes forever to boot up. It's horribly slow. And I'm stuck with IE6 (because that's what the IT folks give you...actually we just got IE7 two months back). There's a lot of the world that lives like this. If you're lucky enough to get a new machine every year, good for you. For the rest of us, a box like this would be a step up. It's not going to be appropriate for every workplace (being military....mine is out, for example). But there's a lot of workplaces (particularly places which rely largely on Google Apps today) which would find simple boxes like this to be a good bargain.
Finally the cost. There's a lot of focus on the subscription model ($20 for education users, $28 for business users). That's just one avenue for adopting Chrome. A lot of users will probably choose to simply buy the devices outright through retail or wholesale channels. The subscription model is more an extension of Google Apps. It's Google extending its SaaS business in to the hardware realm. They aren't selling you the machine. They are selling your a hardware provision and management service. But I doubt it'll become the primary way of selling Chrome laptops in the future.
I think you may have defined the market place -- users that didn't want to do much but bought netbooks and Windows got in their way.
Note that has been stated a major hinderance as to why Atom?s felt so useless all throughout this thread. I seem to recall reading how ARM is slower yet the iPad feels faster because the OS was designed for it.
Built in dual-band Wi-Fi and World-mode 3G (optional)
HD Webcam with noise cancelling microphone
2 USB 2.0 ports
4-in-1 memory card slot
Mini-VGA port
Fullsize Chrome keyboard
Oversize fully-clickable trackpad
Higher ppi than 13? MBP though very likely not as good a display.
Lightweight with long battery life (5 hours of continuous video, BTW).
The big things I want to note are the keyboard and trackpad that mirror Apple?s notebooks. in fact, the reports say it?s the best trackpad outside of Apple?s notebooks.
Those are netbook features and the price isn?t much higher.
So? what are netbook sales projections for 2011? Surely higher than 300k. While this uses the same CPU as a netbook that?s pretty much it as you can see from the specs. Could a chromebook put another hurt on the cramped netbooks that take minutes to boot compared to this 8 second boot machine? I think it can. I think it will.
I do think they maybe shooting themselves in the foot on price though. $400+ and the OEMs got the OS for free? What gives? ...at least Acer has their wifi model at $349.
That said, I'd take this over a netbook anyday. I hate those tiny screens. And the only thing I hate more are those damn tiny keyboards.
As for sales. I don't now about millions. But 300k? At least. I should think Google would do better than that if they passed the hat around to all their Google App clients. Throw in the subscriptions models, and 300k should be a minimum target.
I do think they maybe shooting themselves in the foot on price though. $400+ and the OEMs got the OS for free? What gives?
That said, I'd take this over a netbook anyday. I hate those tiny screens. And the only thing I hate more are those damn tiny keyboards.
Only $349 for Acer?s version but I?d bet the Samsung model is worth the money if you?re in the market for such a device.
So ar they only have 2 active manufacturers, yet there are plenty of vendors tied to this project. If this takes off there be plenty more. Maybe in a year or so we?ll see this expand to there x86 chips and larger displays. Consider the Sony netbook that costs $1400(?) yet is still just an Atom CPU. It?s nice all around but it?s still running Windows on an Atom CPU.
It also works with HDD storage though Google wants SSD storage for many good reasons. But that doesn?t mean an SSD boot with an internal HDD can?t be used. The OS is 1/60th the size of Win7 and smaller than iOS for the iPhone 4 and iPad.
Maybe it is time to resurrect the "I'm a Mac" Ads. PC guy could show up dressed in a raincoat and dark glasses saying he's joined Google because of all the cool spy gear they gave him. Mac guy could become "iPad Guy".
I'm sure there would be a ton of creative and funny angles on comparing the two on privacy. Data mining and Ads is Google's Vista. Time to turn up the heat.....
Any funny ideas for "Google Guy" versus "iPad Guy" Ads?
Google could be an actual cylon-like "android"--mechanical voice and all! iPad could be a "regular" dude--or lady*, just to change things up a bit.
* though, if a lady, then not all sexified--Apple has never needed sex to sell their products, and there's no need to start now--just a smart, witty, charismatic woman.
TCO is not just removing malware and viruses but also things like installing and updating software, applying patches, updating drivers, ...
Companies are already migrating their software into the browser to reduce IT costs. Moving from Windows to ChromeOS is just the final step.
I'm not convinced though that most enterprise and education is ready to move into purely browser-based apps.
Certainly for elementary and middle school education I strongly believe the iPad 2 offers far, far more than a ChromeBook. A wide and ready selection of apps, for example. For high school onwards I feel students should use regular PCs or Macs to expose them to what the "real world" is using.
I think you may have defined the market place -- users that didn't want to do much but bought netbooks and Windows got in their way.
What remains to be seen is: did these users really need Windows or will they be satisfied with less capability... That can actually be used.
I have no experience here...
I don't know!
Edit: If a ChromeBook can deliver on the promise of a netbook... Then I can see some real potential!
I think tightly-controlled enterprise IT environments can implement ChromeBook, I'll give it that. But for more BYO (or choose your own) computer or those who still need MS Office kind of environments, it's hard to see ChromeBook gaining traction.
I'm not convinced though that most enterprise and education is ready to move into purely browser-based apps.
Certainly for elementary and middle school education I strongly believe the iPad 2 offers far, far more than a ChromeBook.
It's not clear to me what those massive advantages would be over a Chromebook.
Being able to work on a class project at school and have that same project available to you in the cloud to work on at home sounds like a huge advantage. I can't count the number of times my son has "forgotten" his flashdrive and said he can't do his latest assignment at either home or school without it. That excuse goes out the window with a Chromebook.
$1000/mo for 50 Chromebooks including all software and support, replaced or upgraded with new versions as needed at no extra charge? That sounds like enough hardware for a typical keyboarding or computer technology class at a small-town high school. Compare to a $25,000 upfront fee for 50 entry-level iPads, , PLUS keyboard purchases, PLUS ongoing service contracts and support at added expense, PLUS additional software and/or educational licenses.
I'd be disappointed as a tax-payer if my local school board didn't at least consider Chromebooks as a lower-cost option when gathering bids for replacement equipment. Our local schools are already cutting support staff due to budget issues. Teachers may be next.
This has precious little to do with Apple. It's all about Microsoft v Google, commoditize your compliment and all that fun stuff.
At its core Google deal in information and sells advertising. The last thing they want is a company like Microsoft standing between their advertisers and the eyes of eager consumers.
The biggest point of ChromeOS though, I think, is to kill (or at least maim) Microsoft's cash cow. I think they will at least partially succeed. Even if they don't ship many of these Microsoft will still be forced to lower their prices on Windows/Office and maybe ship their own cheap 'browser only' version of Windows.
The same thing happened with netbooks. Although Linux was an abject failure on netbooks it still forced Microsoft to drop license pricing on XP and create a budget Windows 'starter' version for those devices.
The most entertaining part of this whole play though is the sense of urgency. Everyone knows the next big SEO is social. Microsoft know it, and partnering with Facebook they are slowly chipping away at Google's cash cow. It's like a battle to see who can drain the others cash cow first
I can't wait to see what happens with Twitter. If Microsoft are willing to $8B for Skype then I shudder to think what they will pay to keep Twitter out of the hands of Google.
I can't wait to see what happens with Twitter. If Microsoft are willing to $8B for Skype then I shudder to think what they will pay to keep Twitter out of the hands of Google.
But they only have $42B left to do that. Will that be enough for Ballmer?
Oh, and that doesn't even get into the MASSIVE security issues of letting Google run your business for you. I can see it now - all your confidential information goes to the highest bidder.
I'm starting to wonder if guys like you are just astroturfers working for Google's competitors:
I'm not convinced though that most enterprise and education is ready to move into purely browser-based apps.
Not most. But many. And that's the key. This will be an appropriate solution for some enterprise client, or even just a portion of the enterprise. For others, they'll stick with Windows.
People are focusing on the subscription model. Setting aside the fact that this includes more than just the hardware (you're getting warranties, device management, etc.), they are forgetting that you can also buy the machines outright, with the cheapest being $349 right now. So if you don't want the subscription model, you don't have to take it. You could, however, use this to seriously reduce the costs of relying on Windows/Office. May not be for everybody. But for the many places that use Google Apps, I don't see why it wouldn't be a compelling offer.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nvidia2008
Certainly for elementary and middle school education I strongly believe the iPad 2 offers far, far more than a ChromeBook. A wide and ready selection of apps, for example. For high school onwards I feel students should use regular PCs or Macs to expose them to what the "real world" is using.
I'd rather that students learned to operate (and manage) several systems like you do in real life. When I was in university, I didn't use the design lab's machines to check email. I could see most schools handing out one of these machines to students as a web/email/word processing machine and then have a high-end lab with Mac Pros for media students and a UNIX lab for engineers, and perhaps a Windows lab too for students who need more than what the Chromebooks provide.
I agree on the iPad for elementary school. But I don't see the point of providing a Windows machine to a high schooler. Give them one of these. And then have a media lab at school with Mac Pros when they can take a proper media class, on proper machines. Windows is just half-assed for everything.
I would even do the same thing at home, if I had kids. Give each of the kids one of these machines (in no small part because it's 30% cheaper than an iPad). And then have one solid iMac for more intensive work for the whole family...and maybe one iPad in the living room.
And to be cynical, given where a lot of these students are heading, I daresay that many of them will be in jobs that don't require anything more than a thin client. That's the real world right there!
I think tightly-controlled enterprise IT environments can implement ChromeBook, I'll give it that. But for more BYO (or choose your own) computer or those who still need MS Office kind of environments, it's hard to see ChromeBook gaining traction.
Ah well, it adds to the diversity of everything.
That's exactly it. This should be attractive for a lot of enterprise users. Regardless of whether or not, you take up the subscription model. If only because it lets enterprise users cut back on Windows and Office licenses....or at least switch to cheaper cloud-based MS Office services (Office Live, Office 365) and ditch Windows.
I agree that it would be challenging for regular consumers though. But there too, I can see specific uses. I can't see my parents using an iPad to type emails. But they do use a laptop and they use Chrome to access hotmail. This machine would be perfect for them. For me? No way. I need my iMac.
It's not clear to me what those massive advantages would be over a Chromebook.
Being able to work on a class project at school and have that same project available to you in the cloud to work on at home sounds like a huge advantage. I can't count the number of times my son has "forgotten" his flashdrive and said he can't do his latest assignment at either home or school without it. That excuse goes out the window with a Chromebook.
$1000/mo for 50 Chromebooks including all software and support, replaced or upgraded with new versions as needed at no extra charge? That sounds like enough hardware for a typical keyboarding or computer technology class at a small-town high school. Compare to a $25,000 upfront fee for 50 e
ntry-level iPads, , PLUS keyboard purchases, PLUS ongoing service contracts and support at added expense, PLUS additional software and/or educational licenses.
I'd be disappointed as a tax-payer if my local school board didn't at least consider Chromebooks as a lower-cost option when gathering bids for replacement equipment. Our local schools are already cutting support staff due to budget issues. Teachers may be next.
Hey Gatorguy,
I followed your link and downloaded Chrome.
The link let me download Chrome for OS X -- so I don't need Parallels. All I got is a browser.
Later. I will try accessing the link from Win XP under Parallels, to see if it gives me anything different.
Anyway, the Chrome browser looks OK -- though I don't like the fact that Flash is active. I use Click2Flash to avoid much of the garbage when visiting web sites.
The other thing I don't like is when entering a web site address into the address bar, e.g. daringfireball -- Chrome default to a Google search, rather than trying to resolve the partial URL. I find I must type the entire URL: http://www.daringfireball.com to be able to hit return without:
1) going through Google search
2) or alternately selecting the URL in the dropdown options -- an extra step.
So far so good.
I followed one of Sol's links, engadget I think, where they did a hands on review of the Samsung Offering.
Most comments were positive, but everyone seemed to think the price was too high.
Several said that it wouldn't be useful without an Internet connection.
One said he could do more with a Xoom than with a ChromeBook.
I am going to have some breakfast and try the Paralles approach later.
With nothing else running on the ori an original 17" Intel iMac -- 1.83 GHz Core Duo, 2 GB RAM --
5 tabs open
AppleInsider, Get Started with Google Chrome, Mac Rumors, eweek, engadget
Chrome is using about 15-20% CPU and about 100 MB RAM -- spread among:
-- Google Chrome
-- Shockwave Flash (Google Chrome)
-- Google Chrome Renderer - 5 copies/processes
Ohh... just had an anomoly -- trying to edit this post using a magic trackpad -- Chrome wouldn'tt let me scroll to the bottom of the data entry area.
Was able to get around this by scrolling the window down then up, then scrolling the data entry area.
the big white space in the middle of my last post was apparently caused by an anomoly when trying to scroll to the botom of the data entry area for an edit.
Quite a good video review of Samsung's Chromebook at Engadget. Surprisingly "smooth" in use. Engadget even implies it can be compared to the 11" MacBook Air.
These don't look like they're the "crapbooks" some here would be quick to assume.
That's exactly it. This should be attractive for a lot of enterprise users. Regardless of whether or not, you take up the subscription model. If only because it lets enterprise users cut back on Windows and Office licenses....or at least switch to cheaper cloud-based MS Office services (Office Live, Office 365) and ditch Windows.
But any smart enterprise manager is not going to turn all of his data over to Google. So the target market is cheap, uninformed IT managers of large corporations who don't care about data privacy.
Doesn't sound like a very large market.
Quote:
Originally Posted by solipsism
Here are the specs of the Samsung model.
12.1" (1280x800) 300 nit Display
3.26 lbs / 1.48 kg
8.5 hours of continuous usage
Intel® AtomTM Dual-Core Processor
Built in dual-band Wi-Fi and World-mode 3G (optional)
HD Webcam with noise cancelling microphone
2 USB 2.0 ports
4-in-1 memory card slot
Mini-VGA port
Fullsize Chrome keyboard
Oversize fully-clickable trackpad
Higher ppi than 13” MBP though very likely not as good a display.
Lightweight with long battery life (5 hours of continuous video, BTW).
The big things I want to note are the keyboard and trackpad that mirror Apple’s notebooks. in fact, the reports say it’s the best trackpad outside of Apple’s notebooks.
Those are netbook features and the price isn’t much higher.
So… what are netbook sales projections for 2011? Surely higher than 300k. While this uses the same CPU as a netbook that’s pretty much it as you can see from the specs. Could a chromebook put another hurt on the cramped netbooks that take minutes to boot compared to this 8 second boot machine? I think it can. I think it will.
Forget netbooks. For $378, I can buy a 15" laptop with AMD C-Series Processor C-50
4GB memory & 500GB hard drive
15.6" CineCrystal LED widescreen display
Webcam, Card Reader, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi & HDMI Out
Windows 7 Home Premium
or for $350 an HP:
AMD C-Series Processor C-50
4GB memory & 500GB hard drive
15.6" CineCrystal LED widescreen display
Webcam, Card Reader, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi & HDMI Out
Windows 7 Home Premium
Or, if you want the smaller screen, $328 from Gateway:
AMD Athlon 64 X2 L310 processor
2GB memory; 160GB hard drive
11.6" LED widescreen display
Webcam, Multi-in-1 card reader, Wireless Wi-Fi
Windows 7 Home Premium
Or $368 for a Dell:
Intel Celeron 743 Processor
2GB memory and 160GB hard drive
11.6" HD WLED display
Webcam, 3-in-1 card reader and wireless Wi-Fi
Genuine Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Or $368 Asus eelIntel Atom N550 Dual Core Processor
1GB memory and 250GB hard drive
12.1" LED display
Webcam and wireless Wi-Fi
Genuine Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium
(Note: all prices are from Walmart - it's an easy place to get prices, but you could undoubtedly do better if you search a bit).
So explain again why you would want a crapbook when for the same amount of money or less you could buy a real computer that would do 1,000 times as much?
A lot of users asked the same questions about the iPad. Give it a few months, then you can ask some of the users of these. The iPad advantages weren't so obvious at first either.
I'd guess there will be a few million Chromebooks out in the wild within months.
A lot of users asked the same questions about the iPad. Give it a few months, then you can ask some of the users of these. The iPad advantages weren't so obvious at first either. .
Nonsense. The iPad's advantage in portability and security was clear right from the start. It was only the veteran Apple bashers like you who insisted it was nothing new.
The crapbook, OTOH, has no advantages over a real laptop.
- It's the same price (or more)
- It's the same size
- It has the same keyboard
- it has the same screen size as many laptops (and many sub-400 laptops even have much larger screens)
However, it has two massive disadvantages:
- It runs only a browser. You lose access to hundreds of thousands of apps you can run on the laptop
- Everything you do is controlled by Google. With Google Docs, all your documents are on Google's servers - which is a major security issue.
There's only one minor advantage to the crapbooks - battery life. But for most people, getting 8 hours instead of 5 isn't worth throwing away all the comparative advantages of a laptop.
But any smart enterprise manager is not going to turn all of his data over to Google. So the target market is cheap, uninformed IT managers of large corporations who don't care about data privacy.
Doesn't sound like a very large market.
Forget netbooks. For $378, I can buy a 15" laptop with AMD C-Series Processor C-50
4GB memory & 500GB hard drive
15.6" CineCrystal LED widescreen display
Webcam, Card Reader, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi & HDMI Out
Windows 7 Home Premium
or for $350 an HP:
AMD C-Series Processor C-50
4GB memory & 500GB hard drive
15.6" CineCrystal LED widescreen display
Webcam, Card Reader, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi & HDMI Out
Windows 7 Home Premium
Or, if you want the smaller screen, $328 from Gateway:
AMD Athlon 64 X2 L310 processor
2GB memory; 160GB hard drive
11.6" LED widescreen display
Webcam, Multi-in-1 card reader, Wireless Wi-Fi
Windows 7 Home Premium
Or $368 for a Dell:
Intel Celeron 743 Processor
2GB memory and 160GB hard drive
11.6" HD WLED display
Webcam, 3-in-1 card reader and wireless Wi-Fi
Genuine Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Or $368 Asus eelIntel Atom N550 Dual Core Processor
1GB memory and 250GB hard drive
12.1" LED display
Webcam and wireless Wi-Fi
Genuine Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium
(Note: all prices are from Walmart - it's an easy place to get prices, but you could undoubtedly do better if you search a bit).
So explain again why you would want a crapbook when for the same amount of money or less you could buy a real computer that would do 1,000 times as much?
Note one of them will boot in 8 seconds. I bet they take at least 4 minutes for the initial boot and will take 2 minutes from logging in just to get your web browser started.
There is a utility for what Google and Palm have done regardless of how you feel about an OS using WebKit as the UI.
Comments
From my look at it (and although I'm excited by the concept, I have my doubts whether Google can execute), it's aimed squarely at the netbook market, and at promoting cloud adoption for Business and Education clients.
Anybody who has used a netbook knows. This would win hands down. The tiny screens and the tiny keyboards are utterly horrible to use. And Windows on a low powered netbook. Painful. Just painful. And what do most people use a netbook for? Any guesses? A full size screen and keyboard for little over $400? This is a netbook killer right here.
The Business and Education offerings were a different push that got conflated with the public launch of Chrome OS. This is Google's push to take on Microsoft. Google cannot, of course, compete, directly with the desktop. So they are pushing the cloud forward. For some businesses, and educational institutions, this will be favourable. For others it won't.
There's some people who keep insisting this platform doesn't have a market because it doesn't do everything. That's missing the point. Just like the iPad (and it pretty much has the same capabilities), this does most of what the general public wants. Need more horsepower? Get a bigger engine (computer). Some people might find this unusual...for example, all you graphic artists seem to have Mac Pros. But many of us (say engineers who might use UNIX CAD stations) find it perfectly normal to have a light box for email and web and a powerhouse (often a shared resource) for heavy design work. Chrome OS is targeting that web and email box. The obvious difference between this and a tablet being the fact that it functions like a full-fledged laptop.
And also talk about what apps will it have. Again, missing the point. Apps may be developed down the road. But initially this is aimed at companies and educational institutions. If they want to deploy a solution like this, they'll obviously be making sure the apps they run are available (or will probably build it themselves).
I don't know where you folks work, but in my office, I have an XP machine on my desk that's about 3 years old. The thing takes forever to boot up. It's horribly slow. And I'm stuck with IE6 (because that's what the IT folks give you...actually we just got IE7 two months back). There's a lot of the world that lives like this. If you're lucky enough to get a new machine every year, good for you. For the rest of us, a box like this would be a step up. It's not going to be appropriate for every workplace (being military....mine is out, for example). But there's a lot of workplaces (particularly places which rely largely on Google Apps today) which would find simple boxes like this to be a good bargain.
Finally the cost. There's a lot of focus on the subscription model ($20 for education users, $28 for business users). That's just one avenue for adopting Chrome. A lot of users will probably choose to simply buy the devices outright through retail or wholesale channels. The subscription model is more an extension of Google Apps. It's Google extending its SaaS business in to the hardware realm. They aren't selling you the machine. They are selling your a hardware provision and management service. But I doubt it'll become the primary way of selling Chrome laptops in the future.
I think you may have defined the market place -- users that didn't want to do much but bought netbooks and Windows got in their way.
Note that has been stated a major hinderance as to why Atom?s felt so useless all throughout this thread. I seem to recall reading how ARM is slower yet the iPad feels faster because the OS was designed for it.
Here are the specs of the Samsung model.Higher ppi than 13? MBP though very likely not as good a display.
Lightweight with long battery life (5 hours of continuous video, BTW).
The big things I want to note are the keyboard and trackpad that mirror Apple?s notebooks. in fact, the reports say it?s the best trackpad outside of Apple?s notebooks.
Those are netbook features and the price isn?t much higher.
So? what are netbook sales projections for 2011? Surely higher than 300k. While this uses the same CPU as a netbook that?s pretty much it as you can see from the specs. Could a chromebook put another hurt on the cramped netbooks that take minutes to boot compared to this 8 second boot machine? I think it can. I think it will.
I do think they maybe shooting themselves in the foot on price though. $400+ and the OEMs got the OS for free? What gives? ...at least Acer has their wifi model at $349.
That said, I'd take this over a netbook anyday. I hate those tiny screens. And the only thing I hate more are those damn tiny keyboards.
As for sales. I don't now about millions. But 300k? At least. I should think Google would do better than that if they passed the hat around to all their Google App clients. Throw in the subscriptions models, and 300k should be a minimum target.
I do think they maybe shooting themselves in the foot on price though. $400+ and the OEMs got the OS for free? What gives?
That said, I'd take this over a netbook anyday. I hate those tiny screens. And the only thing I hate more are those damn tiny keyboards.
Only $349 for Acer?s version but I?d bet the Samsung model is worth the money if you?re in the market for such a device.
So ar they only have 2 active manufacturers, yet there are plenty of vendors tied to this project. If this takes off there be plenty more. Maybe in a year or so we?ll see this expand to there x86 chips and larger displays. Consider the Sony netbook that costs $1400(?) yet is still just an Atom CPU. It?s nice all around but it?s still running Windows on an Atom CPU.
It also works with HDD storage though Google wants SSD storage for many good reasons. But that doesn?t mean an SSD boot with an internal HDD can?t be used. The OS is 1/60th the size of Win7 and smaller than iOS for the iPhone 4 and iPad.
Maybe it is time to resurrect the "I'm a Mac" Ads. PC guy could show up dressed in a raincoat and dark glasses saying he's joined Google because of all the cool spy gear they gave him. Mac guy could become "iPad Guy".
I'm sure there would be a ton of creative and funny angles on comparing the two on privacy. Data mining and Ads is Google's Vista. Time to turn up the heat.....
Any funny ideas for "Google Guy" versus "iPad Guy" Ads?
Google could be an actual cylon-like "android"--mechanical voice and all! iPad could be a "regular" dude--or lady*, just to change things up a bit.
* though, if a lady, then not all sexified--Apple has never needed sex to sell their products, and there's no need to start now--just a smart, witty, charismatic woman.
TCO is not just removing malware and viruses but also things like installing and updating software, applying patches, updating drivers, ...
Companies are already migrating their software into the browser to reduce IT costs. Moving from Windows to ChromeOS is just the final step.
I'm not convinced though that most enterprise and education is ready to move into purely browser-based apps.
Certainly for elementary and middle school education I strongly believe the iPad 2 offers far, far more than a ChromeBook. A wide and ready selection of apps, for example. For high school onwards I feel students should use regular PCs or Macs to expose them to what the "real world" is using.
I think you may have defined the market place -- users that didn't want to do much but bought netbooks and Windows got in their way.
What remains to be seen is: did these users really need Windows or will they be satisfied with less capability... That can actually be used.
I have no experience here...
I don't know!
Edit: If a ChromeBook can deliver on the promise of a netbook... Then I can see some real potential!
I think tightly-controlled enterprise IT environments can implement ChromeBook, I'll give it that. But for more BYO (or choose your own) computer or those who still need MS Office kind of environments, it's hard to see ChromeBook gaining traction.
Ah well, it adds to the diversity of everything.
I'm not convinced though that most enterprise and education is ready to move into purely browser-based apps.
Certainly for elementary and middle school education I strongly believe the iPad 2 offers far, far more than a ChromeBook.
It's not clear to me what those massive advantages would be over a Chromebook.
Being able to work on a class project at school and have that same project available to you in the cloud to work on at home sounds like a huge advantage. I can't count the number of times my son has "forgotten" his flashdrive and said he can't do his latest assignment at either home or school without it. That excuse goes out the window with a Chromebook.
$1000/mo for 50 Chromebooks including all software and support, replaced or upgraded with new versions as needed at no extra charge? That sounds like enough hardware for a typical keyboarding or computer technology class at a small-town high school. Compare to a $25,000 upfront fee for 50 entry-level iPads, , PLUS keyboard purchases, PLUS ongoing service contracts and support at added expense, PLUS additional software and/or educational licenses.
I'd be disappointed as a tax-payer if my local school board didn't at least consider Chromebooks as a lower-cost option when gathering bids for replacement equipment. Our local schools are already cutting support staff due to budget issues. Teachers may be next.
At its core Google deal in information and sells advertising. The last thing they want is a company like Microsoft standing between their advertisers and the eyes of eager consumers.
The biggest point of ChromeOS though, I think, is to kill (or at least maim) Microsoft's cash cow. I think they will at least partially succeed. Even if they don't ship many of these Microsoft will still be forced to lower their prices on Windows/Office and maybe ship their own cheap 'browser only' version of Windows.
The same thing happened with netbooks. Although Linux was an abject failure on netbooks it still forced Microsoft to drop license pricing on XP and create a budget Windows 'starter' version for those devices.
The most entertaining part of this whole play though is the sense of urgency. Everyone knows the next big SEO is social. Microsoft know it, and partnering with Facebook they are slowly chipping away at Google's cash cow. It's like a battle to see who can drain the others cash cow first
I can't wait to see what happens with Twitter. If Microsoft are willing to $8B for Skype then I shudder to think what they will pay to keep Twitter out of the hands of Google.
I can't wait to see what happens with Twitter. If Microsoft are willing to $8B for Skype then I shudder to think what they will pay to keep Twitter out of the hands of Google.
But they only have $42B left to do that. Will that be enough for Ballmer?
Oh, and that doesn't even get into the MASSIVE security issues of letting Google run your business for you. I can see it now - all your confidential information goes to the highest bidder.
I'm starting to wonder if guys like you are just astroturfers working for Google's competitors:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-a...pt-on-google/#
I'm not convinced though that most enterprise and education is ready to move into purely browser-based apps.
Not most. But many. And that's the key. This will be an appropriate solution for some enterprise client, or even just a portion of the enterprise. For others, they'll stick with Windows.
People are focusing on the subscription model. Setting aside the fact that this includes more than just the hardware (you're getting warranties, device management, etc.), they are forgetting that you can also buy the machines outright, with the cheapest being $349 right now. So if you don't want the subscription model, you don't have to take it. You could, however, use this to seriously reduce the costs of relying on Windows/Office. May not be for everybody. But for the many places that use Google Apps, I don't see why it wouldn't be a compelling offer.
Certainly for elementary and middle school education I strongly believe the iPad 2 offers far, far more than a ChromeBook. A wide and ready selection of apps, for example. For high school onwards I feel students should use regular PCs or Macs to expose them to what the "real world" is using.
I'd rather that students learned to operate (and manage) several systems like you do in real life. When I was in university, I didn't use the design lab's machines to check email. I could see most schools handing out one of these machines to students as a web/email/word processing machine and then have a high-end lab with Mac Pros for media students and a UNIX lab for engineers, and perhaps a Windows lab too for students who need more than what the Chromebooks provide.
I agree on the iPad for elementary school. But I don't see the point of providing a Windows machine to a high schooler. Give them one of these. And then have a media lab at school with Mac Pros when they can take a proper media class, on proper machines. Windows is just half-assed for everything.
I would even do the same thing at home, if I had kids. Give each of the kids one of these machines (in no small part because it's 30% cheaper than an iPad). And then have one solid iMac for more intensive work for the whole family...and maybe one iPad in the living room.
And to be cynical, given where a lot of these students are heading, I daresay that many of them will be in jobs that don't require anything more than a thin client. That's the real world right there!
I think tightly-controlled enterprise IT environments can implement ChromeBook, I'll give it that. But for more BYO (or choose your own) computer or those who still need MS Office kind of environments, it's hard to see ChromeBook gaining traction.
Ah well, it adds to the diversity of everything.
That's exactly it. This should be attractive for a lot of enterprise users. Regardless of whether or not, you take up the subscription model. If only because it lets enterprise users cut back on Windows and Office licenses....or at least switch to cheaper cloud-based MS Office services (Office Live, Office 365) and ditch Windows.
I agree that it would be challenging for regular consumers though. But there too, I can see specific uses. I can't see my parents using an iPad to type emails. But they do use a laptop and they use Chrome to access hotmail. This machine would be perfect for them. For me? No way. I need my iMac.
It's not clear to me what those massive advantages would be over a Chromebook.
Being able to work on a class project at school and have that same project available to you in the cloud to work on at home sounds like a huge advantage. I can't count the number of times my son has "forgotten" his flashdrive and said he can't do his latest assignment at either home or school without it. That excuse goes out the window with a Chromebook.
$1000/mo for 50 Chromebooks including all software and support, replaced or upgraded with new versions as needed at no extra charge? That sounds like enough hardware for a typical keyboarding or computer technology class at a small-town high school. Compare to a $25,000 upfront fee for 50 e
ntry-level iPads, , PLUS keyboard purchases, PLUS ongoing service contracts and support at added expense, PLUS additional software and/or educational licenses.
I'd be disappointed as a tax-payer if my local school board didn't at least consider Chromebooks as a lower-cost option when gathering bids for replacement equipment. Our local schools are already cutting support staff due to budget issues. Teachers may be next.
Hey Gatorguy,
I followed your link and downloaded Chrome.
The link let me download Chrome for OS X -- so I don't need Parallels. All I got is a browser.
Later. I will try accessing the link from Win XP under Parallels, to see if it gives me anything different.
Anyway, the Chrome browser looks OK -- though I don't like the fact that Flash is active. I use Click2Flash to avoid much of the garbage when visiting web sites.
The other thing I don't like is when entering a web site address into the address bar, e.g. daringfireball -- Chrome default to a Google search, rather than trying to resolve the partial URL. I find I must type the entire URL: http://www.daringfireball.com to be able to hit return without:
1) going through Google search
2) or alternately selecting the URL in the dropdown options -- an extra step.
So far so good.
I followed one of Sol's links, engadget I think, where they did a hands on review of the Samsung Offering.
Most comments were positive, but everyone seemed to think the price was too high.
Several said that it wouldn't be useful without an Internet connection.
One said he could do more with a Xoom than with a ChromeBook.
I am going to have some breakfast and try the Paralles approach later.
With nothing else running on the ori an original 17" Intel iMac -- 1.83 GHz Core Duo, 2 GB RAM --
5 tabs open
AppleInsider, Get Started with Google Chrome, Mac Rumors, eweek, engadget
Chrome is using about 15-20% CPU and about 100 MB RAM -- spread among:
-- Google Chrome
-- Shockwave Flash (Google Chrome)
-- Google Chrome Renderer - 5 copies/processes
Ohh... just had an anomoly -- trying to edit this post using a magic trackpad -- Chrome wouldn'tt let me scroll to the bottom of the data entry area.
Was able to get around this by scrolling the window down then up, then scrolling the data entry area.
the big white space in the middle of my last post was apparently caused by an anomoly when trying to scroll to the botom of the data entry area for an edit.
These don't look like they're the "crapbooks" some here would be quick to assume.
http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/11/s...at-google-i-o/
That's exactly it. This should be attractive for a lot of enterprise users. Regardless of whether or not, you take up the subscription model. If only because it lets enterprise users cut back on Windows and Office licenses....or at least switch to cheaper cloud-based MS Office services (Office Live, Office 365) and ditch Windows.
But any smart enterprise manager is not going to turn all of his data over to Google. So the target market is cheap, uninformed IT managers of large corporations who don't care about data privacy.
Doesn't sound like a very large market.
Here are the specs of the Samsung model.Higher ppi than 13” MBP though very likely not as good a display.
Lightweight with long battery life (5 hours of continuous video, BTW).
The big things I want to note are the keyboard and trackpad that mirror Apple’s notebooks. in fact, the reports say it’s the best trackpad outside of Apple’s notebooks.
Those are netbook features and the price isn’t much higher.
So… what are netbook sales projections for 2011? Surely higher than 300k. While this uses the same CPU as a netbook that’s pretty much it as you can see from the specs. Could a chromebook put another hurt on the cramped netbooks that take minutes to boot compared to this 8 second boot machine? I think it can. I think it will.
Forget netbooks. For $378, I can buy a 15" laptop with AMD C-Series Processor C-50
4GB memory & 500GB hard drive
15.6" CineCrystal LED widescreen display
Webcam, Card Reader, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi & HDMI Out
Windows 7 Home Premium
or for $350 an HP:
AMD C-Series Processor C-50
4GB memory & 500GB hard drive
15.6" CineCrystal LED widescreen display
Webcam, Card Reader, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi & HDMI Out
Windows 7 Home Premium
Or, if you want the smaller screen, $328 from Gateway:
AMD Athlon 64 X2 L310 processor
2GB memory; 160GB hard drive
11.6" LED widescreen display
Webcam, Multi-in-1 card reader, Wireless Wi-Fi
Windows 7 Home Premium
Or $368 for a Dell:
Intel Celeron 743 Processor
2GB memory and 160GB hard drive
11.6" HD WLED display
Webcam, 3-in-1 card reader and wireless Wi-Fi
Genuine Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Or $368 Asus eelIntel Atom N550 Dual Core Processor
1GB memory and 250GB hard drive
12.1" LED display
Webcam and wireless Wi-Fi
Genuine Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium
(Note: all prices are from Walmart - it's an easy place to get prices, but you could undoubtedly do better if you search a bit).
So explain again why you would want a crapbook when for the same amount of money or less you could buy a real computer that would do 1,000 times as much?
I'd guess there will be a few million Chromebooks out in the wild within months.
A lot of users asked the same questions about the iPad. Give it a few months, then you can ask some of the users of these. The iPad advantages weren't so obvious at first either. .
Nonsense. The iPad's advantage in portability and security was clear right from the start. It was only the veteran Apple bashers like you who insisted it was nothing new.
The crapbook, OTOH, has no advantages over a real laptop.
- It's the same price (or more)
- It's the same size
- It has the same keyboard
- it has the same screen size as many laptops (and many sub-400 laptops even have much larger screens)
However, it has two massive disadvantages:
- It runs only a browser. You lose access to hundreds of thousands of apps you can run on the laptop
- Everything you do is controlled by Google. With Google Docs, all your documents are on Google's servers - which is a major security issue.
There's only one minor advantage to the crapbooks - battery life. But for most people, getting 8 hours instead of 5 isn't worth throwing away all the comparative advantages of a laptop.
It's absolutely nothing like the iPad launch.
But any smart enterprise manager is not going to turn all of his data over to Google. So the target market is cheap, uninformed IT managers of large corporations who don't care about data privacy.
Doesn't sound like a very large market.
Forget netbooks. For $378, I can buy a 15" laptop with AMD C-Series Processor C-50
4GB memory & 500GB hard drive
15.6" CineCrystal LED widescreen display
Webcam, Card Reader, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi & HDMI Out
Windows 7 Home Premium
or for $350 an HP:
AMD C-Series Processor C-50
4GB memory & 500GB hard drive
15.6" CineCrystal LED widescreen display
Webcam, Card Reader, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi & HDMI Out
Windows 7 Home Premium
Or, if you want the smaller screen, $328 from Gateway:
AMD Athlon 64 X2 L310 processor
2GB memory; 160GB hard drive
11.6" LED widescreen display
Webcam, Multi-in-1 card reader, Wireless Wi-Fi
Windows 7 Home Premium
Or $368 for a Dell:
Intel Celeron 743 Processor
2GB memory and 160GB hard drive
11.6" HD WLED display
Webcam, 3-in-1 card reader and wireless Wi-Fi
Genuine Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Or $368 Asus eelIntel Atom N550 Dual Core Processor
1GB memory and 250GB hard drive
12.1" LED display
Webcam and wireless Wi-Fi
Genuine Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium
(Note: all prices are from Walmart - it's an easy place to get prices, but you could undoubtedly do better if you search a bit).
So explain again why you would want a crapbook when for the same amount of money or less you could buy a real computer that would do 1,000 times as much?
Note one of them will boot in 8 seconds. I bet they take at least 4 minutes for the initial boot and will take 2 minutes from logging in just to get your web browser started.
There is a utility for what Google and Palm have done regardless of how you feel about an OS using WebKit as the UI.