

Monthly Chromebook subscriptions for businesses ($28/mo) and schools ($20/mo) - thekevan
http://www.google.com/chromebook/business-education.html#

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maratd
So like, 28 * 12 = 336 ... do I get a new one every year? What happens if I
lose it? What happens if it breaks? What happens if I cancel my service? I
don't see this as a lucrative option unless Google really gives way on all of
those questions.

~~~
thekevan
A lot of your questions were addressed in the GoogleIO video. You can cancel
at any time, not sure how they handle returning the hardware. If it breaks or
needs updating, that is covered.

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVqe8ieqz10&feature=playe...](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVqe8ieqz10&feature=player_embedded)

~~~
TomOfTTB
I don't believe they said that in the video and in fact Google told Danny
Sullivan this...

"Google says there’s a three year subscription required. Hardware will be
upgraded at the end of the three years, if people want to continue on the
plans.

If hardware breaks, it’ll get replaced under warranty. But if you decide you
want a shiny new Chromebook with perhaps better screens, trackpads or whatever
midway through the program, there seems to be no provision for that."

Source: [http://searchengineland.com/google-chromebooks-out-
june-15-3...](http://searchengineland.com/google-chromebooks-out-
june-15-349-for-consumers-20-28-for-educatorsbusiness-76826)

~~~
lotusleaf1987
3 years x $336 per year= $1008, granted it includes a 3G connection, that
seems incredibly expensive to me for what they're offering.

~~~
llimllib
I think a good comparison is to an iPad, where the top-of-the line model with
3g costs $829. So this isn't too much more expensive than that; the question
is whether it's $180 better than an iPad 2.

~~~
NumberFiveAlive
That's not a valid comparison. The iPad with 3G does not include the cost of
the data connection. This includes a 100MB/month connection with the cost of
the subscription.

~~~
moe
Well, 100MB is roughly 30 minutes of youtube.

So if you intend to do anything other than checking your e-mail over that
connection then you'd better factor in the cost for a real data plan.

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Nat0
This could be a big hit in the education sector. The management of everything
would be very simple since the hardware is a commodity, there no worries about
viruses/spyware and everything is automatically saved in the cloud.

~~~
TomOfTTB
Please see my post here: [http://tomstechblog.com/post/Quick-Post-on-
Chromebooks-for-E...](http://tomstechblog.com/post/Quick-Post-on-Chromebooks-
for-Education.aspx)

Again I don't mean to dump on Google who is at least trying to address the
market. But they did so without asking what the market actually needs/wants or
looking at what smart schools are currently using (and the related costs)

~~~
guptaneil
Your cost analysis doesn't take into account the time value of money. Being
able to spread all those upfront purchases out over a monthly cost that
includes IT support and the latest hardware at all times is definitely a
valuable proposition. You are assuming a 4 year life on your netbooks. If one
of them breaks, tough luck.

However, like you said, the usefulness of Chrome OS for students is definitely
debatable. In a few years, a web-app only classroom might be more viable, but
right now, it doesn't seem too practical. Plus, a tablet form factor seems
more useful than laptops for classroom use.

~~~
TomOfTTB
I have to say I don't understand what you mean by "the time value of money".

For the record the 4 year is based on using that brand for some time. They
actually can go about 4.5 years but after 4 years we consider them a loss. I
can't imagine Chromebooks are going to be replaced more often than every few
years.

On the Asus even if a few break (and it happens) the cost is spread over all
the rest making it negligible (less than $.75 a month in my experience)

~~~
guptaneil
By time value of money, I meant that present value of money is greater than
some theoretical future value. So although your laptop costs about $11/month
spread out over 4 years, it's still a $558 investment upfront, at which point
it's a sunk cost. On the other hand, you could just invest $20 and invest the
remaining $538 in something else that might offer greater return. Depending on
the kind of interest rates you're able to get, it might be better to just put
the rest of the money in the bank and let it earn you interest. There's also
less risk. If something better comes along next year, you can easily switch
with little to no loss.

I am assuming that you are not using a payment plan to buy your netbooks, and
are actually purchasing them all upfront.

~~~
TomOfTTB
I see your point now. And on the interest point I'd concede it but even if we
got a monstrous return on that money I can't see it making much difference.

Though another issue is with the Google Chromebooks you have to sign up for a
3 year contract (though you obviously wouldn't have known that when you made
your initial comment): [http://searchengineland.com/google-chromebooks-out-
june-15-3...](http://searchengineland.com/google-chromebooks-out-
june-15-349-for-consumers-20-28-for-educatorsbusiness-76826). So on being able
to change course that's not as possible as it seemed when you made your
comment.

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mey
Given Google's track record on support for Google Apps, AdWords, the G1 phone,
etc, I'll be looking to hear back from other people about the support
experience with this offering.

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watty
I don't know, it seems to me that businesses and schools would have little use
for these machines. I have a pilot CR48 and there's no way I could have used
it as a primary machine at uni and I can't think of one employee in my company
that doesn't rely on some non-web application.

For me, the CR48 has been an amazing couch and travel machine. It's
lightweight, cool, instant-on and has a great battery. The 3G is awesome while
on the road, just one click and I have internet everywhere. If I have to do a
non-web task I connect to my home desktop with Teamviewer (works great).

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ryduh
Where am I missing the references to price on that page?

~~~
ryduh
I found it on the Google Blog announcement:

[http://chrome.blogspot.com/2011/05/new-kind-of-computer-
chro...](http://chrome.blogspot.com/2011/05/new-kind-of-computer-
chromebook.html)

"Monthly subscriptions will start at $28/user for businesses and $20/user for
schools."

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TheloniusPhunk
can individuals do this, or does it have to be an organization?

~~~
thekevan
It seems like end users will need to just purchase one:
[http://chrome.blogspot.com/2011/05/new-kind-of-computer-
chro...](http://chrome.blogspot.com/2011/05/new-kind-of-computer-
chromebook.html) Although, what if I am a business of one, can I lease just
one? Not sure yet.

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nextparadigms
This sounds like a great idea for both schools and businesses, especially
startups who think they can do all the work on the web.

~~~
BasDirks
What kind of startup would that be?

