22 replies to this topic 1 votes

[+Mephistopheles]

With Lenovo's entry, Chromebooks are gaining popularity fast
Summary: As Windows 8 and RT devices stumble out of the starting gate, Google's Linux-based, Chrome OS-powered Chromebooks are gaining in popularity.

The people have spoken, and they want Google's Linux-based, Chrome OS-powered Chromebooks.. The ARM-powered Samsung Chromebook is still Amazon's top selling laptop, and now Lenovo is getting ready to offer a ThinkPad Chromebook: the ThinkPad X131e for the education market.

The Chromebook ThinkPad X131e will have an as yet unidentified Intel processor. The Windows model that's the Lenovo ThinkPad Chromebook is based on uses an Intel Core i3-2367M processor. It also will come with an 11.6-inch, 1366x768 HD LED anti-glare screen, and three USB 3.0 ports. Lenovo also claims that it will weigh less than four pounds1 and have "battery life for the entire school day."

According to Caesar Sengupta, Google's Director of Product Management, "The new Lenovo ThinkPad X131e Chromebook will be available for $429 in the United States starting on February 26, 2013. Schools can add management and support from Google for a one-time cost of $30 per device."

So, why is Lenovo offering a Chromebook? In their press release, Lenovo executive director of ThinkPad marketing, Jerry Paradise, said that "this hardened ThinkPad Chromebook [is] a great computer for schools." In addition, thanks to "Google Apps for Education along with thousands of web apps in the Chrome Web Store, students can easily create documents, edit spreadsheets, view multimedia videos, create slide show presentations and view PDF files." Last, but far from least, Lenovo cited IDG which has found that Chromebooks "require 69 percent less labor to deploy and 92 percent less labor to support."

For cash-constrained school boards, the Chromebook ThinkPad sounds very attractive. So, why isn't Lenovo offering it to consumers or businesses as well? Who says they won't?

Anton Wahlman in The Street recently predicted that the Lenovo Chromebook would be nother nail in Microsoft's coffin. Wahlman wrote, "In 2013, Lenovo will break with its Microsoft Windows exclusivity and start offering PCs -- laptops and desktops alike -- based on Google's PC operating system." I've asked Lenovo to comment on Wahlman's predictions, but they have yet to reply.

Users, and not just pro-Linux or anti-Windows ones, are warming up to the Chromebook. To note one recent example, ZDNet's own Matt Baxter-Reynolds, wrote, "I wasn't expecting to like it, but in the end I loved it. The Chromebook could be the perfect post-PC device that has a keyboard." That sounds about right to me.

I've predicted from early on that the Chromebook could become a Windows PC killer. It looks like vendors and end-users are agreeing with me. Now that Lenovo, the world's number two PC vendor, has a toe in the Chromebook market, I'll be very curious to see how Lenovo's future Chromebook plans and those of other major PC vendors, such as Dell and HP, work out.

Source: ZDNet

[thealexweb]

Chromebooks will always get a rough reception on Neowin because the people who Chromebooks are aimed at are not on this forum. Chromebooks are not supposed to entirely replace a PC or a Mac but are supposed to complement it. They are for the many casual users who already spent 90%+ of their PC time in a web browser.

[Gaffney]

I think they want the Chromebooks to be a budget replacement for the iMac There are still a load of Windows XP computers designed between 2001 to 2006 which are really slow by today's standards that need replacing. Question is, do they go for a budget PC, tablets or Chromebooks?

[medhunter]

What can we differentiate this from old netbooks?Even, I think Chrome OS can be installed on Netbooks. Moreover, Joli OS is similar to Chrome OS and tested already on my Dell Mini 1018.So, waht is the difference? Both are Low performance,Unless you can use it for something in particular.

[GP007]

While they may be gaining in popularity so did netbooks in general only to fall off a cliff as of today. I think tablets and touch is here to stay and going forward these lower end constricted devices will end up being a niche market at best.

[BajiRav]

Windows Phone topped amazon ranking for a significant time and we all know it now is the market leader, right?

[Javik]

thealexweb, on 20 January 2013 - 14:08, said:

Chromebooks will always get a rough reception on Neowin because the people who Chromebooks are aimed at are not on this forum. Chromebooks are not supposed to entirely replace a PC or a Mac but are supposed to complement it. They are for the many casual users who already spent 90%+ of their PC time in a web browser.

Chromebooks will get a rough reception on Neowin because they contain Google products. Hating Google is the norm here. I personally wouldn't buy one as they don't really fit my needs but for basic web browsing machines they're competent, cheap, and secure. Far better than netbooks in my opinion.

[thealexweb]

Javik, on 20 January 2013 - 19:05, said:

Chromebooks will get a rough reception on Neowin because they contain Google products. Hating Google is the norm here. I personally wouldn't buy one as they don't really fit my needs but for basic web browsing machines they're competent, cheap, and secure. Far better than netbooks in my opinion.

There is that too, makes Neowin unbearable sometimes because it appears to be a sin to say a bad word against MS.

[GP007]

thealexweb, on 20 January 2013 - 19:16, said:

There is that too, makes Neowin unbearable sometimes because it appears to be a sin to say a bad word against MS.

Is it a sin to say a bad word against Google then? I see plenty of hate going both ways in this forum.

[+Mephistopheles]

The silly allegations which company mustn't be criticised on these forums aside.. (seriously folks, those arguments are getting old)

Fact is: 90% of all internet users don't need a full fledged PC running Windows/OS X/Linux. Smartphones, tablets, simple laptops like Chromebooks serve their needs perfectly. Microsoft should start to be really worried about the future.

[neufuse]

I still have yet to meet a single person who owns one

[thealexweb]

GP007, on 20 January 2013 - 21:04, said:

Is it a sin to say a bad word against Google then? I see plenty of hate going both ways in this forum.

No it's actively encouraged to hate Google here, there is fire going in both ways but there's a lot more from MS fanboys to MS' rivals.

[GP007]

Mephistopheles, on 20 January 2013 - 21:11, said:

The silly allegations which company mustn't be criticised on these forums aside.. (seriously folks, those arguments are getting old)

Fact is: 90% of all internet users don't need a full fledged PC running Windows/OS X/Linux. Smartphones, tablets, simple laptops like Chromebooks serve their needs perfectly. Microsoft should start to be really worried about the future.

Which is why they have systems like windows Rt. I don't see the desktop side staying in rt forever. At that point it's really no different.

[lothodon]

I picked up the Acer model for an upcoming two week vacation in Hawaii that I didn't want to drag my heavy and private information packed laptop to. With the ability to remote desktop in to both my fiance's and my laptop with the Chromebook even around the house I rarely sit down at my laptop anymore.

The battery life is quite good by comparison and since most of what I do is web based (and I don't hate Google) I'm far more impressed with it than I imagined I would be. I will be dual booting Ubuntu on it once I return and can tinker a bit more.

[GP007]

thealexweb, on 20 January 2013 - 21:17, said:

No it's actively encouraged to hate Google here, there is fire going in both ways but there's a lot more from MS fanboys to MS' rivals.

The only thing I've seen happen is that more people hate Google now compared to one or two years ago.

lothodon, on 20 January 2013 - 21:24, said:

I picked up the Acer model for an upcoming two week vacation in Hawaii that I didn't want to drag my heavy and private information packed laptop to. With the ability to remote desktop in to both my fiance's and my laptop with the Chromebook even around the house I rarely sit down at my laptop anymore.

The battery life is quite good by comparison and since most of what I do is web based (and I don't hate Google) I'm far more impressed with it than I imagined I would be. I will be dual booting Ubuntu on it once I return and can tinker a bit more.

Yet in the end you're going to stick a full OS like Ubuntu on it. I'd say that says it all. I think at the end of the day even if it's good for most people that each of them will run into a situation at some point where they'll need a full OS to do some task and end up going back or switching to something else like a tablet.