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Google Chromebooks finally go on sale: Available 15th June

Summary: Chromebooks are now available for pre-order; shipping begins on the 15th June, and pricing has been announced, too.

Zack Whittaker

By for iGeneration |

Google Chromebooks have finally gone on sale at Best Buy and Amazon. Available for pre-order in the United States at this stage only, the devices will start shipping from the 15th June; just under a week's time.

Google tweeted a couple of hours ago:

"Nothing but the web: Samsung & Acer  #Chromebooks now available for pre-order from  @Amazon and @BestBuy in the US http://t.co/LpY0jWU"

Since 2009 when the slimmed-down laptops were first announced, many have waited for this day. Google tempted testers and developers with the Cr-48 prototype notebook, but since bowed out to more powerful hardware provided by Acer and Samsung.

There are half a dozen new Chromebooks available, and prices range from $379.99 through to $499.99.

I for one, however, will not be buying one. Whether these devices are truly compatible with student -- at seemingly such a steep price for little desire from either the hardware specifications or the 'nothing but the web' appeal, only time will tell.

Students, however, will be able to buy a Chromebook for $20 per month. Nevertheless, it is a relatively sweet deal for those in education; roughly equating to $180 throughout the academic year.

A Google spokesperson told me today that though Chromebooks will be launching in six European countries including the United Kingdom, "pricing has not been announced yet" for these regions.

The $20 a month price also includes a web console, updates, warranty and replacements, as well as support for central administrators.

Though Chrome OS will be largely cloud-dependent, the devices will have 3G access and offline functionality. 'Offline mode' allows users to work on Docs, Gmail and Calendar and other applications while working whilst disconnected from the web.

Related content:

Topics: Google, Mobility

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45 comments
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  • RE: Google Chromebooks finally go on sale: Available 15th June

    Chrome book make sense if it could be sold under $99 for just browsing the web or checking mail for those who just do these two things. Otherwise its an ill-fated idea.
    owlnet
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Google Chromebooks finally go on sale: Available 15th June

      @owlnet I agree. For these prices, just go get your self a net/notebook.
      Aerowind
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Google Chromebooks finally go on sale: Available 15th June

        @Aerowind
        http://pantestmb.blogspot.com/2011/06/chromebooks-first-chromephones-next.html

        What if chromebooks are another test ( after cr48 ) ,
        and the final products will be the CHROME-PHONES ?
        auntaru
        Reply Vote

    • RE: Google Chromebooks finally go on sale: Available 15th June

      @owlnet i agree that they are not for everyone yet and it would be nice to see a ~$300 or sub $300 price point option. however i think some of you are being a little short sighted as well. it's an almost zero maintenance stateless device; with all the html5 web apps in the chrome webstore you can really do 90%+ of what a power user would do on a laptop already, imagine in another 12 months.... B-)
      chadhs
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Google Chromebooks finally go on sale: Available 15th June

        @chadhs Why would anybody want to put all their files, photo's and work on the web totally! No sir I don't want Uncle Sam being able to just go on the cloud and swoop up all the information they want.... I want to have time when they coming knocking at my door so I can Terra form my stuff into thin air. Just because I can!
        ypsrudy
        Reply Vote

    • it will be booting linux and windows in a week or two..

      @owlnet
      Just wait for the brainiacs to crack this one.. I see it as a fairly cheap Windows net/notebook..

      Malcolm
      ursulus
      Reply Vote

      • so?

        @ursulus : Who cares? At that point it will be different from no other netbook in terms of features or price.<br><br>It's not like it's being subsidized, like a game console or anything. So what's your point?
        ewertz
        Reply Vote

      • RE: Google Chromebooks finally go on sale: Available 15th June

        @ursulus Doesn't the zoom or galaxy tab do the same thing?
        ypsrudy
        Reply Vote

    • RE: Google Chromebooks finally go on sale: Available 15th June

      @owlnet
      I thought the same thing until I read that they INCLUDE two years of Verizon 3G access. At that point, the device is almost free. For people who are always mobile, it's a good deal!
      Bit-Smacker
      Reply Vote

  • Will you be buying a Chromebook?

    Is the future of computing cloud-based features and online web applications, or is the hardware effectively "too powerful" for the bare-bones operating system that it runs on? Could Chrome OS knock Mac, Windows or Linux off the market share ladder, or is the cloud-based features to this bare-bones operating system simply not ready for an already booming hardware market? <b>Have your say.</b>
    zwhittaker
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Google Chromebooks finally go on sale: Available 15th June

      @zwhittaker

      I'm looking forward to seeing what the public has to say after the Chromebooks have been out for a while.
      josh92
      Reply Vote

      • In a few weeks, perhaps a few months, they'll be known as CrummyBooks.

        Even many of the people who buy it initially just because it's a "novelty" or because it's from Google, will be demanding their money back.
        adornoe
        Reply Vote

    • RE: Google Chromebooks finally go on sale: Available 15th June

      @zwhittaker <br>"Could Chrome OS knock Mac, Windows or Linux off the market share ladder..." I didn't' think so. We have three here at work arrived earlier this week. I played with it a little bit. It's OK, that's the best thing I can say about it at this point. There is a mental shift that the consumer/student will have to get over. That is the concept of a windowed environment and the feeling you have control. Using for about 30 minutes I felt trapped in the browser, and I kept wanting to close that and go some where else. Even WP7, iOS and Android allow you to leave the application your in and get back to a "home" area.<br><br>The other part is you are relying on connectivity for most of the functionality - appears at this point anyway - that you do not have control over, and data plans will come into play big time. It will be interesting, because they have a niche I think it's way to early (infrastructure, data plans, mental shift for people) for a device like this.
      ItsTheBottomLine
      Reply Vote

    • RE: Google Chromebooks finally go on sale: Available 15th June

      @zwhittaker - I create content and intellectual property. There is no way in New Jersey, or anywhere else, I'd trust Google. Especially when I'm paying money out of MY pocket, when contrasted with their terms of service/use.

      This bears repeating, given its significance for all of us that actually work for a living:

      http://talkback.zdnet.com/5208-12691-0.html?forumID=1&threadID=71841&messageID=1388017&tag=content;col1

      Given what they do in their TOS, any <i>smart</i> student should demand google pay them for their work and intellectual property they intend to put on these things.
      HypnoToad72
      Reply Vote

  • RE: Google Chromebooks finally go on sale: Available 15th June

    <I>"Could Chrome OS knock Mac, Windows or Linux off the market share ladder?</I><br><br>No. It won't even come close. Sorry, Google fans, but ChromeOS (and pure cloud operating systems - AKA JoliCloud) are DOA.<br><br>Pricing is off.<br>Does less than a full feature MacBook or Laptop PC.<br>Totaly incompatible with student's lifestyle. Especially in dorms, students will lean toward a laptop that can do it all - DVD's, games, Facebook, music, and Microsoft Office.<br>Oh, and there's the little fact of <b>no local storage</b> coupled with the poor bandwidth colleges have. That won't make for a pleasant experience.<br><br>Also, it is going up against a tech savy generation of consumers. These aren't the people you find in the office afraid to touch the computer or flood your helpdesk Queue everytime an icon dissappears off the desktop, or God forbid, after an OS upgrade. These younger consumers know the ins and outs of Windows and MacOSX and aren't afraid or put off by all the features of full operating systems. <br><br>Not to mention, ChromeOS is going up against Windows (Which consumers or businesses won't be ditching anytime soon), MacOSX, and to a lesser extent, iOS on the iPad. Quite frankly it might as well as be an army of people armed with brooms going up against Napoleon, Ghengis Khan, or even the German Wehrmacht. I honestly just don't see it going anywhere at all. It's not like Google can sneak this onto people's machines like they can their browser.
    The one and only, Cylon Centurion
    Reply Vote

    • think again

      @Cylon Centurion Grandma will like a Chromebook. She has no need for local storage or much of anything besides web services.
      MSFTWorshipper
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Google Chromebooks finally go on sale: Available 15th June

        @MSFTWorshipper

        Grandparents who actually have need for a computer are few and far between. Neither of mine have anything of the sort, and have no interest in having one.
        The one and only, Cylon Centurion
        Reply Vote

      • I agree with Cylon Centurion

        @MSFTWorshipper
        I hear the term "but Grandmother will like this" yet I know of very few, if any Grandmothers (in the sense of the word as it is being used) that have a computer, let alone desiring one at their age.
        :|
        Tim Cook
        Reply Vote

      • RE: Google Chromebooks finally go on sale: Available 15th June

        @MSFTWorshipper Grandma doesn't even know about storage - and that's why the ipad is such a hit. Instant on for dummies. 95% of users want a device to work like a TV - switch it on, and switch off the brain (what little was not preoccupied by the latest juicy tabloid gossip or stuffing their obese bodies)
        farwest101
        Reply Vote

      • RE: Google Chromebooks finally go on sale: Available 15th June

        @Cylon Centurion: My mother (who is a grandmother) wouldn't want one of these, she uses a real computer and this wouldn't be sufficient for her needs. But I would agree, she is one of those "few and far between" grandmothers!
        levinson
        Reply Vote
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