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Chromebook

google.com

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Re: Chromebook

#291

Post by zachrose »

siglesias wrote: post #141
runjake wrote: post #123

- browses web? check. - runs the latest fad games, like Angry Birds (and more soon thanks to WebGL)? check. - can connect digital camera and upload photos? check. - can browse facebook, twitter, youtube, gmail, hotmail, etc? check - can play flash games & netflix, hulu, & other crap? check. This will satisfy the needs of all my immediate non-techy family members. And I won't get the monthly calls about malware anymor…

I personally find the Angry Birds-Facebook-Netflix picture of the future of computing extremely depressing. Where's Google's suite of content creation apps that "non-techy" people can explore to express their creativity?

"Non-techy" people express their creativity outside of a computer, sometimes uploading photos to websites.

Re: Chromebook

#292

Post by dmazin »

As an owner as one of the CR-48 test units, let me just tell you that I can get on the internet quicker on my three-year-old MacBook than this thing. The MacBook is connected to WiFi by the time I'm logged in from sleep. Not so with the CR-48. However, the 100 free megabytes of 3G per month is nice. I've used about 400kb total since December.

Re: Chromebook

#293

Post by guywithabike »

stanleydrew wrote: post #74
kenjackson wrote: post #45

I can't imagine anyone buying this and being happy unless they are already intimately familiar with the device ahead of time. Too many limitations, with virtually no big upside functionality or user experience (unlike the iPad that makes up for limitations with some huge upside). As I'd mentioned before I can buy an ASUS Eee PC with an AMD C30 processor for $289 and be able to use the browser of my choice, sync my iP…

" The price point on this needs to be a LOT cheaper. Like $100 or free for a netbook..." But that's exactly what they've done with the monthly hardware/software subscription for businesses and universities. The hardware is free. You just pay $20-$30 permonth.

You pay $20 to $30 a month for three years. That's a minimum of $720. Unless I'm missing something, the subscription is nothing but a flavor of a payday loan.

Edit: Looks like I was missing the fact that the subscription includes "service and support", although it's unclear exactly what that entails. Page supposedly isn't a fan of customer support (http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/03/mf_larrypage/all/1), which doesn't bode well.

Re: Chromebook

#294

Post by akent »

cookiecaper wrote: post #131
Kylekramer wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I pretty sure Google knows all of this. And are counting on it. They want them in people's hands, and they know once they are, all of those problems play into their vision. And those people don't know what Google Docs are either. And when they get an Excel document where charts don't render correctly, or comments are screwed up, or pivot tables don't work against their datasource, they'll be POed. Google likes this.…

> Really? Hardcore gamers are the last people who would use this, and the first people to recognize that. I don't know if you really understand how many people play WoW. Most of the avid WoW players I've known have not been "hardcore gamers" and they've played WoW on really crappy computers, with Intel GMA graphics and everything. There are many normal people that wouldn't drop the cash on a video card that play WoW.…

> There are many normal people that wouldn't drop the cash on a video card that play WoW.

Yet they will happily drop $15 a month subscription fee? Who are these people? Are there any stats published by Blizzard?

Re: Chromebook

#295

Post by tjmc »

run4yourlives wrote: post #281

I'm not really seeing how this wins in the "computer as appliance" market when the competition is the iPad, the Playbook and all the other imitators... Am I missing something here? Why wouldn't you just purchase an iPad?

Very good question. The Chromebook hardware is completely uninspiring. They just look like cheap corporate laptops. Not surprising given that Google are basically embracing the Microsoft model of leaving the hardware to the usual suspects.

Re: Chromebook

#297

Post by kenjackson »

runjake wrote: post #123

- browses web? check. - runs the latest fad games, like Angry Birds (and more soon thanks to WebGL)? check. - can connect digital camera and upload photos? check. - can browse facebook, twitter, youtube, gmail, hotmail, etc? check - can play flash games & netflix, hulu, & other crap? check. This will satisfy the needs of all my immediate non-techy family members. And I won't get the monthly calls about malware anymor…

Just read that for biz/edu it is a three year contract. So for business at $28/month x 36 months -- this netbook now costs $1008. If I need to deploy 1,000 of these it will cost more than $1M. Whereas a highend netbook will run $400.

So you're paying a 2.5x premium on hardware. Now you say that it lowers maintainance cost, but you can run something like SCCMS and have all machines auto updated with latest virus definitions (as well other things like updated device drivers or even power management) for $70/machine.

The math still just doesn't seem to add up to me.

Re: Chromebook

#298

Post by Raphael »

geoffw8 wrote: post #68
jonknee wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's quite obviously not targeted at you. There are people who use computers who don't even know what Emacs or Visual Studio are. They're also the ones who have major troubles keeping their computers working. Google's working on abstracting away the IT guy. I hope it works.

Your correct, but I think a LOT of users would be surprised they can't plug their iPhone/iPod in, or maybe use Spotify

Get an Android based MP3 player. Syncs itself like a big boy.

Re: Chromebook

#299

Post by Raphael »

naner wrote: post #17

If it is web only wouldn't it be better suited to an iPad form-factor? I would get one if it was around $30/mo and you can trade it in for a newer model every year or two. Better yet if they could figure out how to get unlimited 3G in there cheaply.

Typing is an important part of the web.

Re: Chromebook

#300

Post by jeffgreco »

run4yourlives wrote: post #281

I'm not really seeing how this wins in the "computer as appliance" market when the competition is the iPad, the Playbook and all the other imitators... Am I missing something here? Why wouldn't you just purchase an iPad?

A new iPad costs (quite a bit) more?
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