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The $199 iPad killer?

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The other, other laptop: New $199 Chromebooks a holiday hit
By Blake Snow
Published November 19, 2012
| FoxNews.com

Tablets and laptops are great. You already know that.
What you might not know, is that Google has been quietly pushing something you might end up using a whole lot more than either of the above.
They’re called Chromebooks. And like an iPad, they boot-up, sleep, and resume in seconds—no more walking around with your laptop lid open. They automatically update themselves, so there’s no need for extra virus software. And they’re stocked with keyboards, so you can be more productive.
But the real kicker: Chromebooks now start at $199. And they’re good. Despite a bumpy start, they're popular enough that some models are even selling out at popular retailers like Best Buy. You’d be ill-advised to ignore them any longer...

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They gave this out on a flight I was on (Virgin America). They are pretty much like a stripped netbook and can do even fewer things than an iPad can (no app store).

They make great cheap-ish gifts for someone, but I wager than most of them that get sold will never get used.
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-Ryan
I use Linux, OS X, iOS and Windows. Let the OS wars die.

Wouldn't it be good for a grandparent or light user who only needs a few functions (email, Facebook, solitaire and Amazon.com)?

reply to haroldo
Yes, but they use the standard desktop PC metaphor, so a grandparent would already have to be familiar with how to use a web browser, meaning they'd already have a computer. If I had to help someone entirely new to computers use one, I'd go with an iPad because the icons and app names make it so easy to know which app does what. My grandparents would choose a chromebook because they find iPads frivolous, but they've been using computers for decades.

I admit, I don't really understand chromebooks. My impression is that google thinks many people are buying iPads because they actually want a very small very easy to use laptop. Microsoft has this same idea, which is why they made Surface. I'm not sure people bought iPads because the computer they really wanted doesn't exist.

Surface, though the ads are hip and colorful, is really targeted toward a business traveler who travels a lot and needs to get real work done while mobile. That's kind of a niche and it's not clear to me that Windows 8 is really fully baked and ready to go for that kind of usage, but at least Microsoft's target market is obvious to me. (Note: the hardcore Apple evangelists will tell you that you can get real work done on an iPad--creative work yes, but corporate work requires a keyboard, a number pad, and all of the advanced functions in Word and Excel. Pages and Numbers just don't cut it)

If cheap is really what you are after, and you really do want a keyboard, then a chromebook makes sense I guess. I don't know anyone who really just wants an exceptionally cheap laptop, though.

For new computer users or little kids, a tablet makes more sense to me and you can get Android tables for $199 these days.
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-Ryan
I use Linux, OS X, iOS and Windows. Let the OS wars die.

OT...spoke to a woman (Apple user) who played with the Surface...and loved it

reply to Daemon
I have not had a chance to play with one but, over the years, I long suspected this was coming. Chromebook will tie you into the internet, "the cloud" if you have to, making it easier to connect and find your data and information without needing to be tied down by a desktop. Google products allow all this since Chromebook will be what is called a "thin client" and Google's servers become your desktop. Essentially, this is what Unix and mainframe computers have been doing since forever.

Using Chromebook means using Google products and services which helps Google sell ads and products, not unlike Apple or Microsoft at all but, unlike those, you can snap your Chromebook in half, buy a new one, and continue where you left off in mid-sentence. Brilliant!

But I have no idea how well Chromebooks do all that because, as I said, I haven't handled one yet. I do know that all my settings and bookmarks are on all my Chrome devices, as are my docs.

reply to haroldo
Sure, but would she buy one and use it everyday as the 'daily driver', so to speak?

Chromebooks are not an ipad killer. They are way too limited even for a light user. They are also not a pricing advantage, as you can get a nexus 7 for the same price, and have a greatly more capable device.

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reply to JohnInSJ

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The problem with these castrated $200 chromebooks in laptop form factors is for $100 more you can get an actual laptop. Sometimes even less than $100 more.

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That, and the fact that you have to trust google.

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reply to haroldo
if anyone thinks these are iPad killers they are smoking some good stuff. I looked at one and liked it, but found it was heavily dependent on cloud storage instead of using a hard drive. instant deal killer. IMO i think these are nothing more than portable web browsers and nothing else.
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reply to haroldo
The author's an idiot, Chromebooks/netbooks are a dead format! They had their 15 minuets of fame now its time to move on. Grandparents, non techies, and cheap skates have the Kindle @ that $199 price point. The rest of the world will keep buying iPads & Android tablets as fast they can make them. People would rather have a killer iPad than an iPad killer.
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reply to haroldo
Chromebucket...the worst of everything.