The early Google Chromebook reviews illustrate a conundrum for these devices that will play out on retail shelves and in the enterprise. How exactly will success be defined and how many of us will really pay to be beta testers?
Everyone agrees that the Chromebook needs to be cheaper.
In the end, consumers will vote with their dollars and I have a tough time seeing folks drop $500 on a browser-based netbook when there are shiny tablets everywhere. Of course, Google fans will be all over the Chromebook, but that's a crowd of an undetermined size.
The real kicker here is that it really doesn't matter what consumers think. The Chromebook could flop at retail and the only companies that will care are Samsung and Acer (and maybe Best Buy). Meanwhile, it's possible that Samsung and Acer don't care about consumer sales. Why? The Chromebook is an enterprise play and Samsung and Acer will happily take the business sales.
As noted before, the Chromebook will be attached to Google Apps deals. IT execs will give Chromebooks a whirl via pilots and mix and match devices. The corporate Google Apps customer is a natural audience to the Chromebook. In the end, Google doesn't have to sell the Chromebook to the masses just to the CIO looking to minimize her desktop management costs.
Related: