Am I the only one who is unimpressed by this thing?
As I understand the CR-48, it's a 12inch laptop with just a browser, nothing else. No local applications or local storage of documents, music, photos, movies etc. No internet connection and it becomes a 12inch paperweight. I also believe it relies on Google Docs for office productivity. So what happens if Google Docs is not available in a particular location? e.g China... Ooops!!
What about cost? I know Google are giving away/loaning free samples for evaluation at the moment. If it costs as much as a similar sized laptop running Windows or a full Linux OS like Ubuntu, then it's a fail IMO.
The thing is I cant really see what Google is trying to achieve with this browser only Chrome OS. IMO they should be aiming to be getting Android running on laptops. Which has local storage and local applications, and is NOT totally reliant on a permanent internet connection for everything.
Cost will be worked out later, I am sure - but since the hardware is outsourced (Samsung and Acer) then you can bet you'll at the very least pay for the hardware.
But, think about it - no HD to pay for, much lower resource usage in terms of battery life (Heh) and everything is in the Cloud. No more worrying about backups and such.
I have more to say, but the next two replies say a lot of what I am going to say, so I'll just highlight their points.
THe whole basis of the Chrome OS is to BE cloudbased!! The whole point is to run everything there so it's always backed up & never lost due to hardware failure, loss, etc. Most Beta projects (PC wise) are targeted at IT type people that will report more accurately what bugs and/or workarounds they encounter. While it can be fun & interesting, you are also a "guinea pig", they're called Betas for a reason. Some can be downright annoying and/or more trouble than it's worth. Just my .02
And if there is no Google cloud computing services available? One is up sh*t creek without a paddle. e.g. Try using a cloud based/web apps Google Chrome OS computer for office productivity here in China... forget it!
I do accept that cloud computing has it's uses for backups. Which I do using Apple's MobileMe and iDisk, mainly because it's freely accesible here. Plus I'm actually cloud computing now, by posting this comment into the Android Forums.
If the Chrome OS laptops are priced significantly cheaper than Windows machines, like say half the price. I think they may have something, provided one is guaranteed an always on internet connection, or not try use it in a place where Google Docs, etc. are unavailable.
If nothing else, you're not paying for Windows (7 currently costs retailers an average of $80) and you're not paying for a HD either. That alone means you can probably get a much smaller battery and still have it outlast current laptops (excluding those with SSDs, and you know the price of SSDs currently, right?)
So, yeah, I'd bet my next 2 paychecks of over $5000 that these are going to be
significantly lower priced than your average laptops.
The laptop is not made for everyone. Think of it as an iPad (or any other tablet) with a keyboard. I know many students that could use one of these and be fine with it. This isn't for the power user that needs Photoshop, the best graphics card for gaming, etc. It will be a niche, much like tablets are right now.
It's not something that's meant to replace a proper computer, but just for people that are always on the go and just need to check quick things and word process. Which is what the interview questions were geared towards, those that have a fast lifestyle. If your job requires you to sit in front of a computer for eight hours a day, you're not gonna get one. If you're a student or someone that would benefit from using a tablet everyday to get shit done, you'll probably get one.
Most people on here don't know how to sync contacts with a cloud based service. Clearly cloud computing is not for everyone.
Excellent retort. Your points are well considered. However, I can add that I, as an IT professional *and* grad student, should have been, theoretically, a good candidate - but I think it went more to first come first serve. I have extensive beta testing experience, including being an official Beta tester for Symantec products, testing Vista and then later on Windows 7, Malwarebytes' Antimalware, and a whole slew of other products (currently including Display Fusion for PC as well as a few Android apps - even one or two from here)
and also being twice accepted into Motorola's Beta testing program for the D1, first for the VCQ issues and now for the FroYo nextgen as well.
I've also taken it upon myself to beta test numerous other products (I won a free Fx 4 T-shirt for my testing of Firefox 4, since I am almost always running the Minefield nightlies
as my regular daily browser since Minefield for Fx 3.x), and lots of other products, some of which I am able to give direct feedback on and some of which I am not. I worked in IT for 12+ years before going back to school to get a mashup of degrees leading up to a Ph. D. in Bioinformatics (which I hope to start after finishing my current Master's in Biotechnology) and more than 30% of the software on my computer (desktop) is at any given time a Beta of some form, shape, etc.
So, yeah, I think it was FCFS more than anything else. The way I figure it, by the time the link started making the rounds on sites like Reddit / Engadget etc. several tens of thousands had probably already signed up for the thing.
Still, it is definitely a niche product, but one that I would laboriously put through its paces - I have internet access anywhere I go, and if I don't have it, well, I always have my D1 w/ tethering, so yeah, I have it pretty much anywhere I go.
