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Chromebook
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ChromeOS. What seemed like a potentially disruptive initiative when announced many moons ago, was launched today with such a yawn that nobody on AFB even started a topic on it today (so I had to, just for the historical record).
Chromebooks may make a small dent in enterprise PC sales, but that’s the extent of the impact I see.
Google Music seems equally lame.
Google simply doesn’t deserve the mindshare it generally has. It consistently introduces half-baked ideas that go nowhere.
Which leads me to wonder: are they really that special in search, their one profitable business? How hard would it be for a well-run company (for example, uh, Apple) to take on this bumbling adolescent of an enterprise in it’s sweet spot?
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MacOrange, If you think about it in your terms I agree completely that Apple could do a better job. My only thought is that Apple is now a hardware company and I am not sure they would want to meddle in that arena. I despise google so seeing them have some competition would bring a smile to my face.
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Adversity does not just build character, it reveals it.
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Inherent problems:
1. Google?s DNA is a parasite.
2. When the hardware is upgraded, users automatically get a replacement. question: when will that be. question: what kind of cheapness am I being saddled with this time
3. Android marketplace is flooded with malware (or am I talking apples and oranges).
4. I should re-buy apps that I already have with iOS ? And that these apps are possibly malware infested ?
5. Updates are automatic ? This is a good thing ?
6. Is the consumer really saving money on hardware ?———- Actually, there was another thread started by rattyuk
How long is the contract and how often is the hardware upgraded? $720 for a new PC laptop every 3 yrs. is probably close to what is already happening in real life.
http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/forums/viewthread/80623/#561457
[ Edited: 12 May 2011 01:24 AM by Tetrachloride ] -
DawnTreader
- [ Ignore ]
ChromeOS. What seemed like a potentially disruptive initiative when announced many moons ago, was launched today with such a yawn that nobody on AFB even started a topic on it today (so I had to, just for the historical record).
Chromebooks may make a small dent in enterprise PC sales, but that’s the extent of the impact I see.
Google Music seems equally lame.
Google simply doesn’t deserve the mindshare it generally has. It consistently introduces half-baked ideas that go nowhere.
Which leads me to wonder: are they really that special in search, their one profitable business? How hard would it be for a well-run company (for example, uh, Apple) to take on this bumbling adolescent of an enterprise in it’s sweet spot?
The Chrome OS is coming out after the netbook has peaked (and the iPad is in the early stages of obliterating the netbook market). I think Google made a strategic mistake putting Android way out ahead and delaying Chrome. I see Android as a dead end.
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Chromebooks may make a small dent in enterprise PC sales, but that’s the extent of the impact I see.
I’m not sure IT departments will be keen to relinquish support services to Google. Enterprise users will also have to dish out $50/mo. for Google Docs. $78/mo. for 36 months = $2,808. That’s gotta be more than a cheap Dell with MS Office.
Chromebooks may have a chance to make a dent in the already dwindling netbook sales. It’s only advantage is instant-on. $349 for an 11.6” screen & 16 GB storage is not that great compared to full-sized laptops in the same price range.
Come to think of it, this may be another Google TV type fiasco.
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DawnTreader
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The netbook market has peaked. This product is too late to the market. If anything it will put even more pressure on netbook prices and create a slight disruption in the MSFT enterprise monopoly. But even HP is looking beyond Windows.
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I wonder how many Google employees will voluntarily use a Chromebook?
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I wonder how many Google employees will voluntarily use a Chromebook?
okay, I stopped laughing.
Since Google employees like simplicity such as with Apple SE/30’s, I think they may really go for it.
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Acer Chromebook $349
Google Chrome OS
Intel ATOM Processor N570
11.6” LED (WXGA) 1366x768
1.3 Mega Pixel HD webcam
16GB, Solid State Drive (mSATA)
Weight: 2.95 pounds
Lenovo laptop $330
Windows 7 Home Premium
Intel? Pentium? processor P6200
15.6” LED high-definition display, 1366 x 768
Built-in 0.3MP webcam
320GB Serial ATA hard drive
Weight: 4.9 poundsChromebook advantages:
? instant-on
? weightDisadvantages:
? screen size
? processor
? RAM & storage
? no optical driveWill a million be sold in the 2nd half of the year at these prices? I predict they go sub-$300 fairly quickly.
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The netbook market has peaked. This product is too late to the market. If anything it will put even more pressure on netbook prices and create a slight disruption in the MSFT enterprise monopoly. But even HP is looking beyond Windows.
The thing you miss is screen resolution at price point. The sub-$400 netbook market has, to this point, been 1024x600 screens. The issue there was the Windows 7 Starter license. Microsoft gave these away cheap, but with a maximum primary screen size of 1024x600. The ChromeBooks hit the price point with more usable screen real estate. For end-user netbook tasks like email and web, ChromeBooks will be pretty much top notch.
It will be interesting to see how long Microsoft takes to engage this form factor. A year from now, the tablet, convertible, and “transformer” form factors will probably reach this price point as well. Google has a good shot of owning this price point area unless Microsoft brings a little more down here.
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I think Google made a strategic mistake putting Android way out ahead and delaying Chrome. I see Android as a dead end.
And not Chrome? Based on your reasoning, I would have thought the converse. Am I missing something?
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wab95
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Enterprise users will also have to dish out $50/mo. for Google Docs. $78/mo. for 36 months = $2,808. That’s gotta be more than a cheap Dell with MS Office.
More details: “...enterprise and education users will need to purchase a minimum of ten Chromebooks to take advantage of the subscription rates.”
So a business has to commit $28k over 3 yrs. for 10 Chromebooks with Google Docs? Let’s see what it would cost to go with Apple.
? 11” MB Air $900 (current MacConnection price) x 10 = $9k
? I’m sure you can buy discounted AppleCare contracts either directly from Apple or via an authorized reseller. Let’s say conservatively $200 ea. = $2k
? I did a very quick search and found MS Office 2 packs for $200 at Amazon. I imagine you could buy licenses directly from MSFT at a discount. But let’s stick with $100 ea. = $1k
? Finally let’s add Apple’s Joint Venture program for $1k for 10 computers. This includes installation, training & support beyond AppleCare.
Grand total is $13k. Spend another $1-2k for Time Capsule backups and get the Joint Venture team to set up automatic backups. That’s still about half the cost of the Chromebook setup.
Am I missing something?
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iWork 11.
The Time Capsules are essential for a fair comparison and there they are. Toss in MobileMe and the Air plan is still cheaper.
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barryotoole
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Google simply doesn’t deserve the mindshare it generally has. It consistently introduces half-baked ideas that go nowhere
Google’s business model reminds me of an old Chinese proverb: “if you throw enough mud at a house, some will stick”.
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If Google were to release ChromeOS so that I can install it on my useless netbook currently running a stripped Windows XP, then it may give that piece of hardware a little more life.
Other than that I dont see why someone would choose a Chromebook over say a tablet of any flavor. -
MacOrange, If you think about it in your terms I agree completely that Apple could do a better job. My only thought is that Apple is now a hardware company and I am not sure they would want to meddle in that arena. I despise google so seeing them have some competition would bring a smile to my face.
They already have competition in the search space: Yahoo and Bing. If those guys aren’t good enough competition then obviously Google is doing something right in search space.
They use search they way MS uses Windows: it gets them onto almost everyone’s computer so they can peddle their other wares. Of course, I actually think Google search is a great product, while I don’t think so of Windows.
Chromebook is just the “cloud computing” version of dumb terminals and a main frame. It’s an old idea. I remember when Sun Microsystems thought the “Sun Ray” computer was awesome. Look how far that got them. Has the climate changed enough that people will like Chromebook?
Maybe Sun Ray vs. Chromebook comes down to the portability of Chromebook, thus fitting in to the netbook / ultra portable category, and the fact that Chromebook can work in offline mode, so you can take it on an airplane for a business trip.
(Personally I’d go with tablet for 10 inches and laptop for 13 inches plus. I never did like the netbook size.)
