If you prick us do we
not bleed? If you tickle us do we not laugh? If you poison us do we not die?
And if you wrong us shall we not revenge?
William
Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice
Revenge
indeed! Apparently the Microsoft Surface has ruffled the feathers of its many
PC hardware partners as predicted in my blog
article entitled “Microsoft
debuts Windows 8 with new Surface Tablets - PixelSense rebranding as the Dark
Knight Rises to defeat PC World”. So much so that
they’re now slowly turning towards making Chromebooks for Google’s Chrome OS,
which lives in the cloud.
First
introduced in December 2010 as explained in my blog
article entitled “Google
Chrome Press Event - Naked Gun 33 and a Third The Final Insult”,
the concept of a NC (Network Computer), a Laptop with its head, or at least OS
(Operating System) that’s really a Browser and files based in Cloud Servers,
seemed farfetched.
Back
then it the only Mobile Internet was mostly 3G Internet with its spotty
coverage, which meant the earlier models were Wi-Fi only deals. The lack of the
ability to locally host your files didn’t make them any more popular; having
your files stranded on a Server made many who were familiar with Google’s
privacy snafus uncomfortable. Still at least if someone stole your Laptop, they
couldn’t get you files and recovery’s a snap as it’s already backed up in the
Cloud a plus for this new Class of Computer
Well
that was so 2010.
By
the Fourth Quarter of 2012, 2 years on, Samsung, one of their original
Partners, has now committed itself further to the Chromebook concept, outing a
3G upgrade to what was originally a Wi-Fi only deal. The issue with local
hosting of files was also resolved, as users of Chromebooks can now save
offline copies to a thumb Drive.
Again,
another nice plus; no viruses, as everything kept nice and clean via strong
antivirus protection on the Cloud Servers used by the Google Chromebooks. Also
with LTE lighting up no in so many cities, this made the Chromebook suddenly an
attractive option.
The
new 11.6” 3G Samsung Chromebook, which debuted on Thursday October 18th
2012 costs US$399, only US$100 more expensive than its Wi-Fi compatriot at
US$299 as noted in the article “New
Samsung Chromebook's 3G model costs $330”, published October
19, 2012 6:59 AM PDT by Don Reisinger, CNET
News.
Geezam blog
Editor-in-Chief Kelroy Brown had written about the same upgraded 11.6” Samsung
Chromebook as staged in the Geezam
blog
article entitled “Google
Introduces new $249 Chromebook”.
It
caught Geezam’s interest as the upgrade indicated not only further commitment
to the Chromebook concept, but also the possibility that they were making money
from the lower cost MacBook clone that’s really a barebones shell of a Laptop
at prices well below higher performance models.
This
update of the 11.6” model was apparently a follow-on, West indies Cricket
Style, of the June 2012 revamping of the 17.1” Samsung Chromebook as stated in the Geezam blog
article entitled “Google
releases revamped Chromebooks and ChromeBox empowering Mobile Computing in the
Clouds”. With it came the intro of the first Desktop implementation
of the Google Chrome OS, an Apple Mac Mini styled BYOMKD (Bring Your Own Mouse,
Keyboard and Display) Chromebox Mini Computer.
Samsung,
it seemed, had been getting serious about Google Chrome OS for quite awhile. Samsung’s
attraction for the Chromebook’s obvious; no expensive tie in’s to Microsoft, as
the Chromebooks use what’s essentially a Browser based Open Source Operating
System. The Chromebooks all have attributes of Tablets but with a keyboard; SSD
(Solid State Drives) and near instantaneous boot times.
Add
to that phenomenal battery life oweing
to the lack of Spinning Harddrive or a CD Burner, with near infinite storage, drawing
up on the processing power of the Cloud to process Files and Date stored in
Google’s Cloud Drive. Thus the Laptops can be made cheaper and units shipped
and sold faster and they’ll sell on the basis of having a Tablet like
performance in a Laptop form-factor.
Less
than a month later in November 2012, Acer, another of the original
partners-in-crime with Google on the Chromebook, also upgraded their 11.6” Acer
C7 Chromebook offering, dropping their price in the process to the MPP (Magical
Pricing Point) of US$199 as reported in “Google
releases 11.6-inch, $199 Chromebook from Acer”, published
November 12, 2012 10:43 AM PS by Casey Newton, CNET News.
Looks
like these attributes explain the phenomenal sales numbers for the Chromebook
made by Google’s other partner, Acer. Acer’s President Jim Wong’s reported that
5 to 10% of their Laptop Sales are Chromebooks, sales that seem poised for future
growth as stated in “Acer
reports brisk Chromebook sales while Windows 8 still lags”,
published Jan 28, 2013 8:31 AM by Jared Newman, PC World.
Meanwhile
sales of Microsoft Windows 8 barely moving as stated in “Acer
Chromebook sales eating away at Windows 8 revenues”,
published Jan. 28, 2013 - 10:04 AM PST By Kevin C. Tofel, GigaOM.
In
fact, the Chromebook is now the No. 1 Selling Laptop on Amazon, so much so to
the point of being out of stock as stated in the article “As
netbooks crash and burn, Amazon’s best-selling Laptop is a Chromebook”,
published January 2, 2013 at 5:17 PM by Zach Epstein, BGR.
Nothing
surprising there, though, as it’s obvious they’re making moolah, right?
Surprise!
All
of a sudden Lenovo, No. 2 computer maker Globally, announced on Thursday
January 17th 2013, their offering of the 11.6” Lenovo ThinkPad X131e
Chromebook which came out on the heavy side with a price-tag of US$619 as
stated in “Lenovo
joins Chrome OS party with Laptop for schools”, published
January 17, 2013 9:32 AM PST by Stephen Shankland, CNET News.
Lenovo’s
a little more clear, aiming the product at High Schools and College Students as
stated in “Lenovo’s
first Chromebook is heading to school”, published January
17, 2013 by Jennifer Bergen, DigitalTrends,
an indication that this model’s taking advantage of the omnipresent Free Wi-Fi
access that’s now a part of every student’s life and may really be a Wi-Fi only
model.
A
big step for Google, making many wonder if Microsoft was somehow worried that
it’s PC partners were slowly abandoning them, vexed over their launch of the
Microsoft Surface as recorded in my blog
article entitled “Microsoft
debuts Windows 8 with new Surface Tablets - PixelSense rebranding as the Dark
Knight Rises to defeat PC World”.
Now
it seems the rivalry just “tun’ up” as now HP (Hewlett Packard) has now jumped
into the ring, with the first 14” HP Pavilion Chromebook 14-c010us described on
spec sheet posted on HP’s website as reported in “HP
Spec sheet shows HP entering Chromebook market”,
published January 28, 2013 9:44 AM PST by Stephen Shankland, CNET News
and “HP
preparing to launch its own Chromebook”, published January
28, 2013 By Kwame Opam, DigitalTrends.
Guess
my predictions of a Google Chrome OS Tablet as stated in my blog
article entitled “HP
TouchPad a target for Modders - PopCaan Raving Chicken Run Lazarus effect for
Cloud-Based Chrome OS Tablet” may not be too far
behind.
Great
for High Schools and Colleges, which would explain why 2000 schools around the
world are using Chromebooks as stated in “Chromebooks
now used in 2,000 schools around the world”, published
February 1, 2013 by Mariella Moon, DigitalTrends,
with the Chromebooks being offered to Teaching Staff at discount prices.
Thus
these developments mark the revival of the Laptop from the Dead as I’d
predicted in my blog
article entitled “Google
Chrome OS and Smart Books - Connection between SSD's, the Fountain of Youth and
Lazarus”. Good to note here HP also has plans for their own
Tablet in 2013 as their Printing business is slowly being killed off by Tablets
as noted in my blog
article entitled “HP
to make Tablets that run on Windows 8 – Resident Evil Retribution for Printing”.
Possibly
a Google Chrome based Tablet, powered by their Cloud Servers?
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