I think Apple's ultra-secret-new cloud laptop will succeed.
Why Google's Chrome notebook will succeed
51–60 of 62 posts
Re: Why Google's Chrome notebook will succeed
#52To say a online dependent computer is more secure, this sound very interesting to me. Can you say Gawker or Gmai.
The point is that the machine itself is more secure, not the whole ecosystem around it. Nobody claims that Chrome OS will somehow decrease (or increase) the probability on server-side attacks.
Re: Why Google's Chrome notebook will succeed
#53Re: Why Google's Chrome notebook will succeed
#54Earlier quoted context omitted.
But you could likely get a cheap Windows netbook for nearly the same price, as OEM Windows 7 Starter will cost ~$40 OEM. So rather than $200 you pay pay $240, but you also get the ability to run Office, iTunes, FireFox, hook up printers, scanners, cameras. etc... Is this worth an extra $40? It feels like it is, even if I rarely use any of these features. But there's probably also some value in being able to say, "Thi…
Have you used Windows 7 Starter on a netbook? Two words: just horrible.
Actually, I have, and it's perfectly adequate if you're using a netbook as a netbook. (The biggest number of Windows complaints I see on the eeeuser.com forums involve people who have 64-bit driver problems, for example.)
I mean, if you're comparing running a Chrome browser under Windows 7 Starter with running the Chrome "OS" on top of Linux, it seems to me the biggest difference will be the option of persistent storage, not the polish of the user experience.
That said, I have two netbooks and both are dual-booting Windows 7 Starter and Ubuntu 10.10 desktop.
Re: Why Google's Chrome notebook will succeed
#55I think price is the real key. If it's around the $200 mark, I'll probably even pick one up for surfing while sitting on the couch or toilet. My grandparents need/want a laptop, and literally all they'll ever use it for is to google stuff. They'll possibly want to upload pictures from their digital camera they never use, but if that's made simple via USB and some cloud based service (existing or otherwise), then this…
I agree on the price point, although it's not clear how you could get to that price point -- ditching the Windows tax doesn't buy you that much.
I think the biggest problem I have with it is that -- barring a revolutionary cheap price point -- there seems to be no Unique Selling Proposition or compelling use case that distinguishes it from the capabilities of existing netbooks.
Re: Why Google's Chrome notebook will succeed
#56ChromeOS is zero maintenance. As a technical person with a few gadgets, that's one less thing to worry about. For non-technical people I can only imagine it as revolutionary. Android, by comparison, is the Microsoft Windows of mobile operating systems. It requires customization, maintenance, and care. If I recommended an Android device to someone I am certain I would be paid regular visits as the designated mechanic.…
> ChromeOS is zero maintenance. As a technical person with a few gadgets, that's one less thing to worry about. For non-technical people I can only imagine it as revolutionary. For many this has been a key selling point with the iPad. But this one also has keyboard and Google Docs...
It's even more of a selling point with this vs. the iPad because the first thing you have to when you set up a new iPad is plug it into a computer running iTunes.
This requires nothing but an internet connection. Just turn it on and go. (in seconds)
Re: Why Google's Chrome notebook will succeed
#57I have the Cr-48, and think it's great. The biggest use I see for it is in enterprise, since it would be so easy to set up a network of these (since the web is much more cross compatible than other things). Working in the cloud makes a big organization much more nimble which is worth a great deal to them.
I see a lot more barriers to this entering the enterprise market than it entering personal markets. For example your company would have to run entirely on web apps already or kiss all of your existing infrastructure goodbye (shared drives, word documents, excel documents, externally received word/excel, Lotus Notes, Exchange, etc.) Also if your company depends on using any other sort of software it's a no go, anythin…
>shared drives, word documents, excel documents, externally received word/excel, Lotus Notes, Exchange, etc.
All can be virtualized. You'd be surprised how many large companies are (legally) running Office and productivity applications on say, a Citrix server, and already treating full blown (expensive) windows clients like "dumb terminals"
The difference can be imperceptible, even to someone whose tech savvy. (Local desktop icons, no noticeable decline in performance, etc)
Re: Why Google's Chrome notebook will succeed
#58I think price is the real key. If it's around the $200 mark, I'll probably even pick one up for surfing while sitting on the couch or toilet. My grandparents need/want a laptop, and literally all they'll ever use it for is to google stuff. They'll possibly want to upload pictures from their digital camera they never use, but if that's made simple via USB and some cloud based service (existing or otherwise), then this…
I agree on the price point, although it's not clear how you could get to that price point -- ditching the Windows tax doesn't buy you that much. I think the biggest problem I have with it is that -- barring a revolutionary cheap price point -- there seems to be no Unique Selling Proposition or compelling use case that distinguishes it from the capabilities of existing netbooks.
The hardware will be cheaper. These things run on ARM processors and a free Linux kernel / firmware. With a few OEMs on board, I think that it's absolutely feasible to see these things around $99 - (perhaps free if paired with Wireless carrier and a data contract)
Think about that for a second: A $99 'laptop' that you don't need to worry about upgrading or going out of date like a regular PC, that has a much longer battery life, is lighter, smaller, and 'just works' for it's intended purpose better than a PC.
It sounds nuts, but after having used one of these for the last week, I am more convinced than ever that Microsoft/Intel is in big trouble unless they do something pretty radical and perhaps painful to their immediate existing business.
*edit -- I've just read that Cr-48 runs Atom. I was told it was an ARM chip. Certainly the chipset requirements factor into my argument here.
Re: Why Google's Chrome notebook will succeed
#59Earlier quoted context omitted.
I agree on the price point, although it's not clear how you could get to that price point -- ditching the Windows tax doesn't buy you that much. I think the biggest problem I have with it is that -- barring a revolutionary cheap price point -- there seems to be no Unique Selling Proposition or compelling use case that distinguishes it from the capabilities of existing netbooks.
The hardware will be cheaper. These things run on ARM processors and a free Linux kernel / firmware. With a few OEMs on board, I think that it's absolutely feasible to see these things around $99 - (perhaps free if paired with Wireless carrier and a data contract) Think about that for a second: A $99 'laptop' that you don't need to worry about upgrading or going out of date like a regular PC, that has a much longer b…
Yep, from the beta samples it appears they're using commodity hardware, so the only savings will be the Windows tax. Basically, if you took the original Asus 701 netbook and made some upgrades (7" -> 12" screen; 600 MHz Centrino -> 1.6 GHz Atom; 500 MB -> 2 GB RAM; 4 GB -> 16 GB flash drive) you'd have the Cr-48 specs.
Asus differentiates its wide range of netbooks with price point variations based on different battery specs, hard drive size, Bluetooth, etc.
The only variation I can see for commercial roll-out would be in, say, the 3G module added by a particular service provider. Given what has happened with the added "features" of some Android devices, I'm not sure that a Verizon-specific Chromebook would be a big seller. A vendor-specific would seem to lead to contracts and account personalization details that would kill the anonymity focus of the device.
Re: Why Google's Chrome notebook will succeed
#60Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's hard to believe a stateless box can be hard to manage. There isn't much to go wrong in it. At least, not when compared to a barebones Windows netbook.
Support and managing state are two different things. For friends and family, the support I provide is almost never about state or ramifications of state. The most common set of questions are actually around printing (why does it print the webpage name at the bottom of the page? I don't want that. Or the computer says it's out of ink, but I just put new ink in it). Chrome just complicates this. The next biggest set of…
Why would ChromeOS complicate tasks like page setup? It seems printing is somewhat different (not sure - I haven't used a Cr-48 yet) but it can't possibly be so complicated my mother (an archetypal 75 year-old lady) would have problems. About a month ago, I set her up with a USB printer (I took away my networked printer), Ubuntu detected it immediately when plugged. No driver download, no nothing. It all just worked.
Anyway, if page setup and connecting external screens are your worst problems, consider yourself very lucky. Most of us have to deal with the occasional malware infection (luckily, I don't). The horror stories are often amusing.