localzuk Posted January 11, 2014 Posted January 11, 2014 ^ PC sales have also declined because people are perfectly happy with the computers they purchased within the last four years (or more). There isn't any need to replace them! Absolutely. Hardly any analysts seem to understand this point from what I've seen.
SPM Posted January 12, 2014 Posted January 12, 2014 (edited) Chromebooks do NOT account for 21% of all laptops sold in the U.S or globally. You have made the same mistake a lot of incompetent bloggers and journalists made. Sorry, I should have said "all laptops sampled". NPD reported that out of US business to businesses resellers who sold a total of 14 million devices (laptops, desktops, tablets) in 2013 (not all but about a third of the total US market) and 21% of laptops sold and 9.6% of devices sold were Chromebooks compared to Windows which made up 34% of the laptops sold. I am pretty astounded that 21% of business to business laptop sales were Chromebooks - I would have expected consumer laptops to perhaps be around this amount based on Currys PC World's reports last year that 10% of their computer sales were Chromebooks, but I was surprised about business to business sales figures. What is not included in this number is direct OEM sales (as in Dell direct, Google Play store, Apple Store), nor any consumer sales (through outlets like Amazon online sales Best Buy and Staples retail sales etc). The mistake you and some others are making is to assume that consumer sales and direct sales of Chromebooks are zero. It is not zero, and the numbers there will be significant too. The other mistake people make is to look at web counter stats and equate them with sales. They are actually measuring two completely different things - the first is the number of existing users (and web stats can also show considerable bias), and the second is the number of newly sold devices. In other words total number of Chromebooks sold in US is greater than 14 million x 9.6% you estimated since Amazon online sales Best Buy and Staples retail sales etc. sold more than zero chromebooks. The numbers sold to consumers is not published, but I would suspect they are significant and somewhat similar to those sold by the business to business resellers since Chromebooks are essentially for casual users. Indeed I was surprised by the numbers apparently sold to businesses. I can only surmise that businesses are using them as thin clients. The other mistake you and others are making is to call world sales of Chromebooks low and suggest it is struggling. World sales are low because Chromebooks have only been marketed in US and UK, and only very recently have shipments to 6 more countries started. On top of that, even in the US and UK, availability in retail stores has been limited for most of the year, so effectively what we have had is test marketing of Chromebooks by Google. If Chromebooks can score 21% of business to business laptops sales, and possibly a similar number in consumer sales with limited retail availability and low key advertising, then I wouldn't say Chromebooks are struggling. Global PC sales have regressed to the same levels as in 2009 (which was 305.9 million globally). I don't see this as a bad thing since sales can't increase year-on-year indefinitely. Hopefully it will give PC manufacturers a much needed kick up the arse too. It certainly has done that - all the main PC OEMs are now making custom designed Chromebooks - Acer, HP, Lenovo, Toshiba, Samsung, LG, Asus, and even Dell which has been given a $1 billion loan by Microsoft, presumably to push Windows and presumably with strings attached. HP and others are also experimenting with Android PCs, and dual Android/Windows devices, and all are getting into ARM based Android tablets. ^ PC sales have also declined because people are perfectly happy with the computers they purchased within the last four years (or more). There isn't any need to replace them! I concur with this, and when they need to buy an additional or new device, they keep the Windows machine, and buy a new tablet or Chromebook instead. Why throw away your old machine if it still works, and especially if you prefer them to the new Windows machines on offer with Windows 8 on them. Edited January 12, 2014 by SPM
speckytecky Posted January 12, 2014 Posted January 12, 2014 I was leaning toward becoming enthusiastic about Apple till it decided to push out Maverick and IOS 7. Since they arrived iPads been iffy and had a least one Mac loose the plot completely. New out the box MacBook Pro lost OS on upgrade and had to take it to a Genius bar for restore. Most annoyingly in school our wonderful value and in my opinion 'Perfect' Air Servers have had to upgrade to allow teachers to use IOS 7 'upgraded' iPads but on SmartBoards with 'older' PCs no longer works now because the graphics aren't good enough for the upgrade. You lot must live in an interesting world, I have never seen a Google ad on TV, even the Microsoft ones are scares, the only company bashing my retinas in is crApple.
seawolf Posted January 12, 2014 Posted January 12, 2014 (edited) I was leaning toward becoming enthusiastic about Apple till it decided to push out Maverick and IOS 7. Since they arrived iPads been iffy and had a least one Mac loose the plot completely. New out the box MacBook Pro lost OS on upgrade and had to take it to a Genius bar for restore. Most annoyingly in school our wonderful value and in my opinion 'Perfect' Air Servers have had to upgrade to allow teachers to use IOS 7 'upgraded' iPads but on SmartBoards with 'older' PCs no longer works now because the graphics aren't good enough for the upgrade. I would advise using a little less haste in jumping to upgrading to the latest OS releases from ANY vendor or else you will suffer pain. It is one thing to do this for the individual consumer where the odds of something going wrong are much less and the repercussions small, but to do it an a corporate or education environment without adequate testing is...well...not recommended. Your issues seem to be somewhat self inflicted. I don't even rollout updates for Linux (of all things that are probably least likely to break) without some prior testing and research (known issues, etc.) and taking snapshots and testing some more after updating to make sure all is rosy. I have experienced software bugs in almost every system I have ever used at some point that caused serious issues or required a rollback (firewall, switch, wireless controller, Solaris, Linux, windows, Mac, iOS, vSphere, Citrix, FileMaker, SQL Server, Ghost, AV systems, Photoshop...you name it). Always proceed with caution with major updates, I don't care who they are from. Edited January 12, 2014 by seawolf 1
Arthur Posted February 4, 2014 Posted February 4, 2014 (edited) Asus' new Chromebox looks good. Meet the Asus Chromebox, a $179 fanless mini-desktop « Ars Technica Edited February 4, 2014 by Arthur
john2k5 Posted February 4, 2014 Posted February 4, 2014 I would advise using a little less haste in jumping to upgrading to the latest OS releases from ANY vendor or else you will suffer pain. It is one thing to do this for the individual consumer where the odds of something going wrong are much less and the repercussions small, but to do it an a corporate or education environment without adequate testing is...well...not recommended. Your issues seem to be somewhat self inflicted. I don't even rollout updates for Linux (of all things that are probably least likely to break) without some prior testing and research (known issues, etc.) and taking snapshots and testing some more after updating to make sure all is rosy. I have experienced software bugs in almost every system I have ever used at some point that caused serious issues or required a rollback (firewall, switch, wireless controller, Solaris, Linux, windows, Mac, iOS, vSphere, Citrix, FileMaker, SQL Server, Ghost, AV systems, Photoshop...you name it). Always proceed with caution with major updates, I don't care who they are from. Thats a matter of opinion. We rolled out 8, Server 2012 and Office 2013 within 2 weeks of launch across our school. 8.1 is now everywhere. Pupils love it. Staff love it (after the initial shock! ). Even our 5 year old laptops love it! No drawbacks whatsoever. On 8 we used oblytile to brighten things up a bit as people complained it was "a bit dull". Now we just leave 8.1 to manage the tiles. Deduplication in server 2012 is amazing. To be fair, we did the same with 7 and server 2008 with no issues either. The way I see it is that schools should be at the bleeding edge wherever possible. If you buy a consumer laptop now, its at least win8, pointless using the older os in school when its outdated for home use. Luckily, we have a head who is supportive and trusts us to just get on with it and the staff have to "adapt or die" Harsh but effective
seawolf Posted February 5, 2014 Posted February 5, 2014 Thats a matter of opinion. We rolled out 8, Server 2012 and Office 2013 within 2 weeks of launch across our school. 8.1 is now everywhere. Pupils love it. Staff love it (after the initial shock! ). Even our 5 year old laptops love it! No drawbacks whatsoever. On 8 we used oblytile to brighten things up a bit as people complained it was "a bit dull". Now we just leave 8.1 to manage the tiles. Deduplication in server 2012 is amazing. To be fair, we did the same with 7 and server 2008 with no issues either. The way I see it is that schools should be at the bleeding edge wherever possible. If you buy a consumer laptop now, its at least win8, pointless using the older os in school when its outdated for home use. Luckily, we have a head who is supportive and trusts us to just get on with it and the staff have to "adapt or die" Harsh but effective Well, I certainly can't fault your attitude or courage. However, wisdom is not really a matter of opinion, but based on hard earned experience, and learning from that experience and the advice of others with greater experience and knowledge. If you think that being on the bleeding edge is always going to end in sunshine with 100s and 1000s sprinkled on top, you are in for a rude awakening. Continue on that path and you will suffer the wrath of users and your sanity in the foreseeable future. Count yourself lucky that things appear to have gone so well this time around, but understand that it would be foolish to believe that string of luck will continue forever. Ignore this advice at your own peril. 1
Arthur Posted February 6, 2014 Posted February 6, 2014 Chromebox for meetings, a $999 video conferencing system from Google « Ars Technica Google is expanding its line of Chrome hardware for business users with "Chromebox for meetings," a video conferencing system that costs $999 and up. While the system is powered by the free Google Hangouts, $999 isn't expensive when it comes to enterprise-class video conferencing hardware. Google's offering includes a Chromebox, an HD camera, a microphone and speaker, and a remote control. A display is not included. 3
Arthur Posted February 7, 2014 Posted February 7, 2014 (edited) More Chromeboxes on the way. This time from HP. HP To Release Its First Chromebox This Spring « OMG! Chrome! The HP Chromebox is due for release ‘later this spring’ and will, like its rival, be made available in a range of configurations, likely to be Haswell Celeron-based. HP has said that one version will include a powerful 4th generation Intel Core i7 processor. Three USB 3.0 ports, HDMI and DisplayPort adapters, and a VESA wall mount will feature as standard across the range. In a nod to their Chromebook line-up, four different coloured designs will be available, all with obligatory cringe-worthy names: Smoke Silver, Ocean Turquoise, Snow White and Twinkle Black. HP say that the all-new devices will suit home and business users alike. ^ Why can't HP make Windows PCs that look like the Chromeboxes above instead of hideous black glossy plastic towers? Edited February 7, 2014 by Arthur
sted Posted February 7, 2014 Posted February 7, 2014 More Chromeboxes on the way. This time from HP. HP To Release Its First Chromebox This Spring « OMG! Chrome! ^ Why can't HP make Windows PCs that look like the Chromeboxes above instead of hideous black glossy plastic towers? intel nuc gigabyte brix (intending to get a nuc soon as theres a new one that takes msata and 2.5" sata so msata ssd boot big 2.5" data drive
Arthur Posted February 7, 2014 Posted February 7, 2014 intel nuc gigabyte brix Indeed, but neither of those are made by HP. HPs non-business Windows PCs just look awful IMO.
sted Posted February 7, 2014 Posted February 7, 2014 Indeed, but neither of those are made by HP. HPs non-business Windows PCs just look awful IMO. could you buy one of those and install windows its still x86 hardware?
Arthur Posted February 7, 2014 Posted February 7, 2014 (edited) could you buy one of those and install Windows. It's still x86 hardware? The stripped-down BIOS used on ChromeOS devices won't boot Windows, and even if it did, you would still need the correct drivers. chromium.org/chromium-os/developer-information-for-chrome-os-devices/custom-firmware johnlewis.ie/coreboot-on-chromebooks/pre-built-firmware I think you can install Linux though... wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Acer_C720_Chromebook Edited February 7, 2014 by Arthur
gshaw Posted February 7, 2014 Posted February 7, 2014 could you buy one of those and install windows its still x86 hardware? It's funny, many of the comments on another site that featured Chromeboxes was how good they'd with Windows or XBMC installed... no-one was excited for ChromeOS Still wonder when / how Google are planning on merging ChromeOS with Android as the amount of overlap is crazy between the two products.
Arthur Posted February 13, 2014 Posted February 13, 2014 VMware to Bring Traditional Windows Apps and Desktops to Chromebooks « Official Google Enterprise Blog Today, customers can fully embrace the cloud with Chromebooks using VMware Horizon™ DaaS®. VMware and Google are working together to make the migration of legacy applications even easier, by using the HTML5/Blast experience from Chromebooks. This means you can work with Chromebooks and connect to a Windows experience running VMware™ Horizon View. As the countdown to Windows XP end of life continues, deploying Chromebooks and taking advantage of a DaaS environment ensures that security vulnerabilities, application compatibility and migration budgets will be a thing of the past. VMware Horizon DaaS enables customers to centralize other desktop environments and manage these as a cloud service. Initially available to customers as an on-premise service or by VMware vCloud Service Provider Partners (VSPPs) offering DaaS in the cloud or within hybrid deployments. Users will be able to access their Windows applications, data and desktops using VMware’s Blast HTML5 technology to their Chromebook. This technology is available now by bringing together VMware Horizon View 5.3 and Chromebooks as an on-premise service and will be available soon as an application that can be installed from the Chrome Web Store.
Arthur Posted March 3, 2014 Posted March 3, 2014 Finally a Chromebook with a decent screen resolution! In depth: Meet the new Samsung Chromebook 2 « Computer World The Samsung Chromebook 2 actually comes in two different models: one with an 11.6-in. display, like its predecessor, and one that packs a larger 13.3-in. screen. Both models will go on sale sometime in April; the 11-in. system will cost $320 while the 13-in. device will run $400. Under the hood, both models use Samsung Exynos Octa 5 processors with 4GB of RAM (the 11" model is clocked at 1.9GHz while the 13" is at 2.1GHz). Sound a little unusual? It is: The Exynos Octa 5 is an ARM-based chip -- the same type of chip typically used in smartphones and tablets. That's the sort of setup most Chromebooks used to use, but the majority of the newer models have shifted to Haswell-based architectures instead. While Haswell chips are generally considered to be more power-efficient than their ARM-based cousins, stamina doesn't appear to be a cause for concern with Samsung's new offerings: The 11-in. Chromebook 2 promises a full 8 hours of battery life per charge while the larger 13-in. model is listed for 8.5 hours. About those displays: The 11-in. Chromebook 2 uses the standard 1366-x-768 resolution seen in most Chromebook devices, including the previous-gen Samsung Chromebook model. The 13" Chromebook 2, however, steps things up with a 1920x1080 "full HD" display -- a welcome bump from the bare minimum we've come to expect on non-Pixel-level machines. That said, Samsung has confirmed to me that both models use TN panels as opposed to higher-quality IPS displays (which is still par for the course with Chromebooks, with the Pixel and the HP Chromebook 11 being the only exceptions). Hopefully the additional bloatware Samsung has pre-installed can be removed easily. New Samsung Chromebook 2 introduces bloatware to Chrome OS « Geek.com Where Samsung goes, other hardware manufacturers are sure to follow. This method of including paid apps isn’t quite as invasive and often downright offensive as what some Windows OEMs have done in the past, but it sets the precedent for bloatware to come to Chrome OS from every direction.
gshaw Posted March 4, 2014 Posted March 4, 2014 Seems like ChromeOS is morphing into Windows in slow motion
SYNACK Posted March 4, 2014 Posted March 4, 2014 Seems like ChromeOS is morphing into Windows in slow motion ChromeOS was 'because people don't want Windows' it seems they do as the UI, compatibility and now bad vendor habits converge
gshaw Posted March 4, 2014 Posted March 4, 2014 Not to mention the ever increasing CPU and memory requirements on the hardware side
Arthur Posted May 8, 2014 Posted May 8, 2014 Intel and Google boast 11-hour battery life with upcoming Chromebooks « Ars Technica Asus, Acer, Toshiba, and Lenovo will be the first PC OEMs to ship Bay Trail-based Chromebooks, not counting a basic education-focused reference design that Intel showed off during the presentation. Asus is offering both 11-inch (C200) and 13-inch (C300) Bay Trail Chromebooks with dual-core Bay Trail Celeron chips (the N2830, to be exact), 2GB of RAM, 16GB of solid-state storage, 1366×768 displays, and 802.11ac. The 11-inch model weighs 2.5 pounds, while the 13-inch model is 3.1 pounds, and the lineup will reportedly start at $250. The Toshiba and Acer models weren't shown, and we don't yet know anything about specific specifications, pricing, or availability for either of them. Lenovo's Chromebooks are a little more intriguing. The company is offering two models, the N20 and the N20p. Both use 11.6-inch 1366×768 displays, quad-core Bay Trail Celeron chips, 2GB or 4GB of RAM, 16GB of solid-state storage, and about eight hours of battery life. The difference between the two is that the N20p integrates a Yoga-like flexible hinge and a touchscreen that can be flipped backward (though it won't sit flush against the bottom of the laptop like the regular Yogas will). The standard N20 will start at $279 when it's available in July, and the N20p will start at $329 in August. The event also played up Chrome OS' momentum in the marketplace, though no one who spoke used specific sales numbers. They chose instead to focus on other metrics—that seven of the top 20 best-selling laptops on Amazon are Chromebooks, that the Asus Chromebox has been the best-selling desktop on Amazon since it was introduced, and that Amazon customer reviews on these devices are generally favorable. Eight major PC OEMs are now selling Chrome OS devices, and they're available in 20 countries (with nine more countries to follow). ^ What's the point in having a screen that can't fold all the way back like on the Yogas running Windows?
Arthur Posted May 8, 2014 Posted May 8, 2014 (edited) Hands-on: Acer’s speedy Core i3 C720 Chromebook « The Next Web Unless you’re using a Google Chromebook Pixel with a Core i5 processor, Chromebooks are generally pokey computing affairs. While loading Chrome apps and sites isn't exactly performance intensive, the snail-like speed of those Chromebooks becomes noticeable next to mid-level Windows or OS X notebooks. The Acer C720 removes that sluggishness in a $349 package–far less expensive than the Pixel’s $1,299 price at launch. Thanks to the notebook’s 4th-gen Intel Core i3 chip, the Chrome browser launched and loaded more quickly than any other non-Pixel Chromebook I've seen. Launching Google apps–including multiple Drive documents–was a breeze with nary a hiccup. Google even pre-bookmarked a racing game and adventure game onto the C720 for testing. While the Google Drive doc tabs were still open, I launched both games. Even while loading the adventure game, I saw no lag or stuttering while skidding around SKID Racer track. The Acer won’t replace an ultrabook or MacBook Air, but at $349, it’s a solid performer. But, that price point means that you’re not going to get the high-quality screens found on those other devices. At 1366 x 768 pixels, it’s hard not to notice the lower resolution compared to higher-end Windows and OS X notebooks. It’s not a horrible experience, but once you've become accustomed to a higher definition display, it’s hard to go back. The build quality of the case is also on par with its $349 price tag. It doesn't feel cheap or flimsy, but it is plastic and feels like a notebook from five years ago. The keyboard felt solid, but probably a little too recessed for my taste. And finally, the trackpad was responsive, but heavy taps created the tell-tale “thwak” noise of a plastic construction. Chromebook manufacturers really need to start using better quality screens! Yesterday's Intel-Google event was an eye opener, or perhaps eye-strainer for anyone looking for Chromebooks with better screens. During the Q&A, PC execs dodged a couple questions about the displays, the majority of which are 1366 x 768 resolution and dim 200-nit brightness. Resolution matters less when panels are bright and deliver consistent color and contrast from wide viewing angles. Chromebooks consistently ship with the best keyboards on any laptop for any price, and the trackpads are exceptional, too. The displays suck. Only two models are good enough. Most newer models change nothing. (Source) Edited May 8, 2014 by Arthur
SYNACK Posted May 8, 2014 Posted May 8, 2014 Hands-on: Acer’s speedy Core i3 C720 Chromebook « The Next Web Chromebook manufacturers really need to start using better quality screens! Smirk, chrome and web based were supposed to be better as they were more efficient but they still need a mainline cpu ro be decent. Windows 8 even seems to handle web pages better on a lower end cpu.
gshaw Posted May 8, 2014 Posted May 8, 2014 Does seem odd how many of these Chromebooks are cheap and nasty, considering how good the Nexus tablets are in comparison. Also those Chromebooks aren't that cheap really considering there's no Windows licence to cover in the price, someone's making a nice profit on them!
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