Just announced! The Chromebook $249!!!

[Anduril]

Originally Posted by HotHotHeat

That's fine. I'm saying it's hard to understand why they're obsessed with pricing things so low and making them functionally limited. Release something that HAS internal storage and CAN be used to edit photos, movies, etc. I want to see them compete with Apple in more ways than the color of the keyboard and the size of the screen.

Yes, the 11" MBA is 4x the price, but it's fully capable of running pro level apps and even Windows at the same time. People are willing to pay for something that does a lot. Google is too focused on thinking people want netbooks.

As mentioned by other people posters, this isn't about competition; it's aiming at a niche market.

"People are willing to pay for something that does a lot."

Sometimes a little all some people need.

Sent from my GT-I9100M using Xparent Cyan Tapatalk 2

[chemgear]

Similiar to the "android market share" discussion - from a business standpoint, I assume/hope they're at least getting a somewhat decent margin on this kind of product.

[SebC]

Does no fan mean no dust?

[chemgear]

Here are some hands on pictures and video:

http://www.theverge.com/2012/10/18/3...ook-249-monday

[GreenLantern]

Haters going to hate, the thing is they got a great price point on this lap top.

A lot of people will pay good money for a product that can do a lot, but you would be foolish to think a lot of people are not also interested in an affordable laptop that can do a little.

Glorified tablet eh.. for 249 bucks thats still a great price on a tablet, lol.

[sclitheroe]

Originally Posted by Anduril

As mentioned by other people posters, this isn't about competition; it's aiming at a niche market.

It's definitely not about competition. Netbook sales are in a death spiral and major players in the space like HP, Dell, Asus, Acer, and MSI have pretty much abandoned the niche entirely.

What's the next niche market they plan on entering this way? PDA's? WebTV? (oh wait, they already tried that one for about a year)

[Flames0910]

Sorry, but the web just isn't ready for the Chromebook.

Steve Jobs tried to sell an iPhone based on web apps only, and wised up. Why in the world is Google still trying to find a market for the Chromebook when you can buy a Nexus 7 for the same price?

[sclitheroe]

Originally Posted by Flames0910

Sorry, but the web just isn't ready for the Chromebook.

It's more like the web grew up and stopped needed training wheels (the browser). The app-centric web combines the best features of native code and platform agnostic protocols.

It's so strange that Google is pursuing a bifurcated strategy - they've got the app ecosystem on Android, but on the Chromebook they insist on running everything as web apps, even though the underlying hardware is similar in many ways.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern

Haters going to hate, the thing is they got a great price point on this lap top.

Sorry, but a while a Chromebook may be a nice tool for some purposes, it certainly doesn't fall into the category of a "laptop."

[edslunch]

Meh. I can't get excited about this category of product. It does less than a tablet and less than a notebook... It's a bit of both but does less.

I'm with the other poster who asked why it doesn't support Android.... Then it would be a nice blend

[FanIn80]

Google is just trying to find a way into the PC world, in order to protect the only product they truly manufacture and sell: advertising real estate.

I'm not saying this in a bad way, by the way. I'm being realistic. Google is an advertising company. They got into search, email, browsers, phones, tablets and social networking for the same reasons. They need to be able to sell ads, and they don't want to be locked out of potential markets. It's the same kind of market expansion that any competently-run business would venture towards.

The only unfortunate aspect, is that they never seem to aggressively go after new markets. That's the kind of stuff that creates excitement and "hype," if you will. The kind of expansion that Google does serves a different motive. It's the reactionary kind, geared towards protection and survival. What's really interesting though, is how they're able to pull it off by leveraging external influences on companies and consumers.

All of this isn't to say that the Chromebook may or may not be a hit (in a few years, at least). I'm just expanding on earlier comments in this thread about Google seemingly working in reverse. The thing is, while the other major players started out in the desktop world, with either hardware or software being their product base, Google started out in the web world competing against Alta Vista and Yahoo with advertising as their product base. The desktop players have been able to follow a natural progression that coincides with typical expectations of forward movement, while the web players have had to work in the sideways to opposite direction. It really is a testament to Google that they've been able to pull it off, though. Alta Vista has long since faded away (though it is still alive, having been bought out by Yahoo), and while Yahoo is still kicking and breathing, they really haven't done much to penetrate other markets.

[QuadCityImages]

My CR-48 is still my couch computer, although its outdated CPU doesn't do full-screen movies well. For typical browsing, emailing, looking stuff up during a commercial, or whatever, I still like it more than a tablet. I would prefer that it could do video better, or alternatively, that my Revue wasn't so hampered by content companies' fear of it, but I don't think the netbook market is dead in the long term. Like people have said, its just a different market from your $500+ "real" laptops. That said, when I got my chromebook it came with 100 megs a month of Verizon 3G for 2 years. I haven't read anything about a similar deal with these Samsung ones.

[sclitheroe]

Originally Posted by QuadCityImages

I don't think the netbook market is dead in the long term.

Dead might be too strong a word, but it's clearly evolved - tablets took tremendous market share from them, and I think the DNA of netbooks is to be found in products like the MS Surface and the Asus Transformer type setups (tablets with strong keyboard integration)

[QuadCityImages]

Originally Posted by sclitheroe

I think the DNA of netbooks is to be found in products like the MS Surface and the Asus Transformer type setups (tablets with strong keyboard integration)

I would agree except those products are all still $499 and up.

[sclitheroe]

Just saw an ad for these things on TV. Pretty slick, upbeat advertising.

[OldDutch]

And the race to the bottom in laptop pricing is complete.

On another note, I am still not sure what is the use case for these are? All of google's apps work on tablets, and you can buy a keyboard for them. I guess it has a track pad? Maybe it is price, but for $50-75 difference, where is the price savings over a Nexus 7 + Bluetooth keyboard?

I think this was a project prior to Andriod, and before it was ever anticipated what Andriod would be. They are now seeing the project out, and the game has totally changed.

To me, this is more along the lines of a (very) poor mans Newton, in the sense it is an off beat gadget with little practicality outside of the "wow that's neat" factor. Almost instant office desk drawer filler.

Maybe I am not thinking of how I would use this in a way that would bring value for $250 when compared to the other options?

[Anduril]

Originally Posted by OldDutch

And the race to the bottom in laptop pricing is complete.

On another note, I am still not sure what is the use case for these are? All of google's apps work on tablets, and you can buy a keyboard for them. I guess it has a track pad? Maybe it is price, but for $50-75 difference, where is the price savings over a Nexus 7 + Bluetooth keyboard?

I think this was a project prior to Andriod, and before it was ever anticipated what Andriod would be. They are now seeing the project out, and the game has totally changed.

To me, this is more along the lines of a (very) poor mans Newton, in the sense it is an off beat gadget with little practicality outside of the "wow that's neat" factor. Almost instant office desk drawer filler.

Maybe I am not thinking of how I would use this in a way that would bring value for $250 when compared to the other options?

For some people who don't want a tiny 7" screen, that $50 to $75 would be more than enough. I could easily see this aiming towards those who are budget conscious but want a simple, safe device for individuals like kids and the elderly.

[simmonjam1]

But will they be available in Canada?

[Anduril]

Originally Posted by simmonjam1

But will they be available in Canada?

99% not available, likely because our wireless carriers can't agree with Google about pricing for the 3g model and whatnot.

[nfotiu]

I am getting one of these. I have 2 work laptops, an htpc, an iPad, and android phone. We've been pretty much locked down from doing anything personal on our work laptops. IPad is great for casual web browsing. But any kind of lengthy typing or form filling is a chore. Keyboards with tablets are just awkward and don't add much value. I just want a instant booting, super portable, long lasting battery device for a great web experience and this really seems to fit the bill and I am pretty excited to get it. I'll report back with experiences. User reviews seem to be very positive. I'm also curious to see how it works using cloud office products to do personal finance spreadsheets and documents. Both things that aren't really functional on a tablet.