Earlier this week, Google released the latest version of its Chrome OS-based hardware line. The laptop, built by partner Samsung, is appropriately named the “New Samsung Chromebook,” and it comes in at a very appealing price point of $250.
What makes this release a very important one to track can be divided into two categories: niche and timing.
First, let’s talk about the niche where this laptop is trying to make a name for itself. At $250, this product is coming in at well underneath the prices for other laptops and even for other tablets. Plus, according to Google, that’s the point. They are laser-focusing the Chromebook not to replace an existing Windows machine or Mac that may already be present in the household. They are looking for this laptop to be purchased in addition to those machines.
According to Sundar Pichai, who heads up Google’s Chrome browser, OS and product teams, “We really want users to think about this as one extra computer for your kitchen counter, one near the bed, maybe a computer for your kids or family.”
For all the tech historians paying attention, the Chromebook is in effect, the latest & greatest version of the old-fashioned dumb terminal from the early days of computing. The laptop from Samsung has no hard drive, no fan, and Google is providing 100 Gigabytes of cloud storage free for two years, further changing the paradigm of anything ‘happening’ locally on the machine. It relies on an Internet connection in order to constantly be fed processing instructions from the Google “mothership.”
Side note: If you’re thinking about a Chromebook as an addition to your household, the condition of the Internet connection needs to really be taken into account, as this laptop relies so heavily on it. If you operate in an environment (like mine) where your WiFi connection spontaneously drops several times a day, you’ll need to make sure that WHATEVER you’re doing, you save often.
But, as an extra device in your home, it could be a viable alternative for a machine to do their homework on, or stay connected to their social network, for example. Or potentially a smaller machine to bring to college to take notes on, instead of trying to frantically type the professor’s lecture on a tablet keyboard. And, because all of the services are Google based, the version of the report you wrote in the library will be available from Google Docs to ‘be made beautiful’ on your primary Windows or Mac computer in your parents’ den.
And, that leads to the second important discussion thread about this Chromebook: the timing.
Apple Inc. is on deck to release a new addition to its tablet family in the near future, at potentially a higher price than this machine. Microsoft released its own Surface tablet coming in at a price of $500, and with a somewhat confusing package of Windows 8 features included within, but not including the sleek keyboard so prominent in the promotional material.
As well, Redmond has released the latest version of its OS, Windows 8, which is, initially, not being well-received by techs or ‘normal’ computer users.
For Google, this could be the perfect storm of “right place at the right time” for the Chromebook, especially with the holiday season fast approaching.