Its here: Chromebooks hit OZ – the Google notebook for $299After a long wait, Chromebooks are here – the Samsung and Acer notebooks running Google Chrome OS.
Starting at $299 for the Acer C7 model, Chromebooks promise instant boot up like Ultrabooks, 100 GB free cloud strorage with all the Google apps – Gmail, Drive, Search, Maps, YouTube, Docs, Play, Google+.
“Today, when most of us pick up a computer, we want to get straight online, and fast, so we can send email, surf the web and just get to our favorite web applications,” says Caesar Sengupta, Product Management Director, Chrome OS, on a blog.
Chromebooks promise a “faster, simpler and more secure” computing experience” and are an ideal second or third computer in teh home, says Google.
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| Acer C7 Chromebook |
They require no setup and have automatic updates, so “Chromebooks actually get better and faster over time”…”they just work,” says Sengupta.
The Samsung Chromebook ($349) and Acer Chromebook ($299) are now available from JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman stores and the 14″ HP Chromebook is on its way (to Harvey’s) soon for $399.
Ausdroid are also tipping the possible arrival of the high end 12.85″ Chromebook Pixel.
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| Samsung Chromebook |
However, DigiTimes reports sales of Chromebook, available elsewhere for some time, are anything but stellar with “total sales of less than 500,000 units show that the devices still need a lot improvement,” or 1% share in the notebook market.
The Google Pc’s may also struggle to copmete with with Windows OS devices for 1-2 years, the report says.
Key specs of Samsung $349 Chromebook
11.6” screen
1.1kg / 17.5mm thin
6.5 hours of battery (Varies based on usage)
Boots up in less than 10 seconds
100 GB of Google Drive free for 2 years
Key specs of Acer C7 Chromebook $299
11.6” screen
25mm thin and 1.4kg
Up to 4 hours of battery (Varies based on usage)
Boots up in less than 20 seconds
100 GB of Google Drive free for 2 years
