
Five Reasons why Google's Linux Chromebook is a Windows killer - jemeshsu
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/open-source/five-reasons-why-googles-linux-chromebook-is-a-windows-killer/8887
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iamelgringo
Really? $28/month x 36 months = $1008

For a dual core netbook that relies on a round trip to the internet to do word
processing.

$950 on NewEgg gets me iCore5, 6BG of RAM and Half a Terabyte of local
disk.[1]

How is an underpowered, less functional, more expensive computer a Windows
killer?

ref:

[1]
[http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE...](http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100006740%204022&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&SrchInDesc=6gb&Page=1&PageSize=50)

~~~
jakevoytko
I've been using a CR-48 for a few days, and I don't think this type of
platform is a Windows-killer. But it fills a huge hole in my life - I finally
have a computer with a cell connection AND a real keyboard. Tethering my
laptop to my cellphone was the best solution I had. This was awkward,
especially in tight places like trains. And phones and tablet interfaces are
great for reading, but when I type, I want to type at full speed. The Great
American Novel will never be written by pecking letters into an iPhone.

If it had a reasonable way to code, I would abandon my laptop altogether.

~~~
jasonkester
You realize you're $20 away from having a cell connection for your laptop,
right? That's how much it will cost you to walk into your nearest mobile phone
shop and buy a prepaid USB dongle. And it will come topped up with a month's
worth of data.

You can data by the month for $15 whenever you need it and (depending on your
network) get the added bonus of having unlimited access to every paid wifi
hotspot in the world for that month.

Definitely worth keeping one of those in the laptop bag for the times when you
can't find a good coffee shop or an AP named "Linksys".

------
cocoy
Is it just me, or is Google's Chromebook fighting yesterday's war? Chromebook
for me doesn't make sense, not with Android. I'm sorry, the zdnet article is
crap.

Chromebook is not a Windows Killer, and none of the five reasons cited would
not compel the grandmother who lives next door or that man who doesn't care
about the religious nature of Microsoft Office versus LibreOffice. Nor do I
see a compelling reason for a business owner to make a switch.

Normal people just want things that work when they turn them on. And they
don't want complicated.

~~~
ENOTTY
> Normal people just want things that work when they turn them on. And they
> don't want complicated

Is that not the Chromebook's design? They have produced a product with curated
hardware (QA tested and none of the sharp edges of Linux), an operating system
that has a browser with one of the best UIs as the primary interface, and a
pretty secure and automatically updating operating system that will help
protect against malware. From the second he gets it, a user can turn it on and
start using the Chromebook.

The only worry I see is not having standard apps like Microsoft Office and
Google hopes that Docs will be able to replace that.

~~~
stcredzero
_The only worry I see is not having standard apps like Microsoft Office and
Google hopes that Docs will be able to replace that._

Because they have Office, Microsoft is in a better position to make a
Chromebook than Google is.

~~~
nextparadigms
If Microsoft made a "Chromebook" but with some Windows lite OS and Office
included, it could cost a lot more, you can be sure of that.

~~~
stcredzero
Well, I said they'd be in a better position. I didn't claim that they wouldn't
#^%$@& it up.

------
jessedhillon
Reminds me of the perennial "year of the linux desktop" proclamations that
were so prevalent (and mostly wrong) about 5-10 years ago.

See
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desktop_Linux#Year_of_Desktop_L...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desktop_Linux#Year_of_Desktop_Linux)

------
melling
The author has been writing about Linux for years. I can see why he's hopeful
again. Chromebooks should make a dent in the Windows market, maybe grabbing
10%. Windows won't die, and it doesn't need to.

Breaking the Windows desktop monopoly is all that matters. Consumers benefit
when there is more choice in markets.

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logermoore
So, a laptop where the OS, browser, search engine, email client, calendar,
word processor, spreadsheet, etc. are all controlled by a single company that
gathers loads of personal information about you? No thanks.

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pointillistic
The only problem I see is pricing. 12 months is $336, one can buy a full
featured laptop for the money. A laptop will work for say 5 years (or more).
While 5 years of Chromebook is $1,680. That's top of the line anything plus
the unrestricted power and environment.

~~~
stcredzero
_A laptop will work for say 5 years (or more)._

Yeah, but for the last two years, it will be a bit too far out of date. With
Chromebook, Google would have sent you a new one by then.

~~~
badkins
Maybe in 1998. Computers don't go "out of date" as fast as they used to. I
bought my desktop in 2004 and it wasn't top of the line then. What's it got?
Dual core 3.2 GHz, 2G RAM, 400 Gig HD. 7 years old and it still comparabe to
what I'd get if I bought another one today.

~~~
stcredzero
This is why the industry needs stuff like Thunderbolt.

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cleverjake
Nothing is a "windows killer" in the same way that nothing is an iPhone
killer, or a Nokia killer for that matter. In almost all cases slow changes in
the industry are what kill kings off. While there is no doubt that Windows
will remain relevant for the foreseeable future, if for no other reason than
corporate infrastructure and lack of (any need for) innovation in most cases.
But when my mom started preferring to use my Cr48 over her windows laptop
"because it works...better", and my niece refers to the iPad as "[her]
computer" it to me that most people are just more comfortable with slim
client. Atleast in my life. Windows isn't going to die anytime soon - but it
looks like its choking.

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netcan
I think chromeOS may be a victim of unfortunate timing.

At some point between the surprisingly successful Asus Eee launch & the iPad,
preferably early, would have been the perfect time.

Now, probably not.

~~~
Shengster
I'm not sure if the Chromebook would be successful even back then. I remember
the appeal of the Eee was its really low price, and thus consumers were
willing to compromise. In this case, I'm not so sure. The Chromebook costs
close to what a normal budget laptop would cost and is a lot less functional.

~~~
netcan
I think the reason Google is trying this rental approach is because it's a way
to angle in to a market with relatively little room. They think they might
have an advantage in the laptop-as-a-service category, more so then in the
low-end-laptop category. That would have been different in 2008.

BTW, I don't think it's smart comparing chromebook prices to amazon bargain
bin prices. These aren't the same market segments. Laptop rentals for home and
small business is a substantial existing market. A quick look at the deals
going now shows prices generally ranging from $15-$45 per _week._ These are
not particularly high end machines.

[http://www.radio-rentals.com.au/products/Computer---
Office/N...](http://www.radio-rentals.com.au/products/Computer---
Office/Notebooks)

[http://www.mrrental.com.au/For-Rent/Catalogue/Computers-
Offi...](http://www.mrrental.com.au/For-Rent/Catalogue/Computers-
Office/Laptop-Computers.aspx)

------
cdesmar
Chromebook is perfectly positioned to beat Windows 3.1

Or that's what I read.

------
smiler
Gmail will need to support flagging e-mails as high importance if they want to
suceed in corporations.

Ok, joking aside, as an ardent fan of windows and windows development,I began
to write a comment about why ChromeOS / Chromebook will not succeed - however,
I've been away on business this past week and I have seen a room full of
people in cubes and all they were using all day was Outlook and SAP - so I can
see that it would be perfect for them.

It's definitely giving me a few things to think about for the future.

Have Google included support for the nativeclient plugin? If they did, that
would be very interesting indeed

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foobarbazetc
Wow. Anyone who thinks the Chromebook is going anywhere is smoking serious
crack.

A Google-dominated world is no better than a Microsoft one, and this laptop is
all about Google lock in. All your icons are for Google products (which are
inferior to Microsoft Office). All your data lives on Google's servers. It's
not just $28/m. It's $28/m and your eyeballs. Your kids eyeballs, too.

Also, anyone who thinks kids would rather one of these netbooks than an iPad
has no idea what they're talking about.

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beaumartinez
For the average end user I don't think a Chromebook is a "Windows killer". For
the enterprise, however, I certainly think it _could_ be.

Automatic back-up and updates; connection encryption, program sandboxing,
minimal data stored on the actual device itself; "free" hardware updates;
customer support from Google...

Chromebooks certainly have a lot of simplicity and they do a lot of work you'd
otherwise require a sysadmin for itself.

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callumjones
I don't mean to be shortsighted but I always feel a little skeptical when
"xxxx is a Windows killer" comes from a Linux/Open Source column.

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sunstone
I wonder if the cost of this, for a business, would be 100% deductible whereas
a bought laptop would have to be depreciated for three years or so?

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andos
If, instead of getting myself a Chromebook subscription, I put $28 in a cookie
jar every month, after 3 years I could buy myself a 13" MacBook (or a MacBook
Air!) and have some change left for a beer to celebrate my choice. Maybe
that's how the Chromebook will kill Windows.

Now if only we had cookie jars that paid interest...

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cema
Another Windows killer! How many do we need?

But I would like to see _one_.

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vegai
Windows died 15 years ago.

