Five Reasons why Google's Linux Chromebook is a Windows killer | Hacker News Reader

Five Reasons why Google's Linux Chromebook is a Windows killer

zdnet.com

17 pointsjemeshsu44 comments

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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...

Because specs have nothing to do with it. Does the expression "No wireless. Less space than a Nomad. Lame" not ring any bells?

For anyone else who is wondering, this is a quote from Slashdot's post on the launch of the iPod: http://slashdot.org/story/01/10/23/1816257/Apple-releases-iP...

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.

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".

Many phones can be tethered via Bluetooth, allowing the phone to remain in your pocket. That's my BART/CalTrain solution.

Actually, in Japan, a bunch of novels are written on phones.

Also, if you hit C-A-T on the cr48, it opens up a terminal. Have fun coding. Though, it works best if you ssh into a VPS or some other machine since you are limited on what you can install.

Definitely not a windows killer, but I can imagine a lot of businesses and schools getting in on this. After all, Windows professional edition + office professional = $700.

No it won't make sense for everybody, but it makes a good bit of sense for businesses and schools, which is the demographic that makes the most money for Microsoft anyway.

I'm sure the "windows killer" was just an exploit to get you to actually read the article though. The only real "windows killer" will be windows.

to be fair - business and schools of the strongholds of windows. if anyone got more than a small piece of that pie, that would put a dent in MS

You're not including maintenance in that price and OS/software upgrades.

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.

> 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.

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

This is the same worry I have. I'm not sure Google 'gets' how hooked into some of the more sophisticated features of Word, Excel, etc. many businesses are. I love Google Docs and default to it for anything that doesn't require a lot of sophistication. But it just doesn't even scratch the surface of what I need when I write complex documents. I could see new businesses who aren't entrenched in any of this stuff picking it up - it's certainly how I would start a business. But I can't see established businesses buying into it when the "bread and butter" software that they buy their computers for in the first place is so weak. Ironically, Google's best hope might be that its customers will use Microsoft's own online version of Office.

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.

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.

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

Nor do I see a compelling reason for a business owner to make a switch

How about paying a fraction of a normal PCs cost for hardware and OS that is automatically upgraded every three years. And not having to deal with Windows malware.

In many places, the business apps that people need access to are web-based or available via a virtual machine or Terminal Services. For these people, this is a no-brainer.

Yes, but there you are not talking of a Windows Killer, you are talking about a computer that is very good to some kinds of company with not so sophisticated apps that runs online. Windows is a software that works well for almost all kinds of people and companies, not only for some kind of them.

Except that some users don't need Windows. There are a lot of people that just don't need a general purpose PC and the associated cost. That's the Windows killer. It isn't that a Chrome OS box is a Windows killer. It's the acknowledgement that not everyone needs Windows. Once that has been established, that is the Windows killer.

Also, normal people don´t want to pay more monthly expenses, especially for something that normally don´t have any monthly expenses. And beeing always updated is not somehing normal people cares a lot about

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...

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

This is why the industry needs stuff like Thunderbolt.

Yes, but if I want to spend $336 each year on my pc I can replace it annually and not waiting 3 years for a new one. If I want to use the same one for 3 years I can spend $336 insted of $1008!

And how much is your time worth to perform that annual update?

I just replaced a 2008 Macbook with a 2010 Macbook Pro. Just took a couple of hours.

If you do that every year for $330, I'm impressed.

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.

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.

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.

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.mrrental.com.au/For-Rent/Catalogue/Computers-Offi...

Chromebook is perfectly positioned to beat Windows 3.1

Or that's what I read.

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

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.

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.

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.

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?

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...

Another Windows killer! How many do we need?

But I would like to see one.

Windows died 15 years ago.

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