They are advertising the Google Chromebook as an affordable laptop for $249. I know someone who has been wanting a laptop for awhile now but hasn't been able to afford one. This one would be do-able but I'm not sure if it is a good quality laptop or not. Does anyone know if these are good or are they cheap for a reason? Thanks!
Their site says it's worth $199. Maybe that's without taxes or shipping charges? I think they're that cheap because of the OS they use (Google Chrome OS). I don't know if it's good or stable because I haven't tried it, but it can't be the same as Windows.
Addicted_buyer is exactly right. The operating system is the reason it's so cheap. The Google OS is having a tough time getting its foot in the door. So that Chromebook serves as an entry way for them. But if their services are anything to go buy, then the Chromebook should be a decent affordable purchase.
Thanks for the replies. I don't know why but I hadn't thought about the OS being different. DOH! I will have to do some more research on that now as well as the hardware specs.
Availability of the new Samsung and Acer Chromebooks is limited at some Best Buy stores. Please call your local store to confirm.
It's a good buy for a laptop but if you're not into the Chrome OS you shouldn't buy it. Chrome OS is good enough for me but their main storage system will be using Cloud Storage. Plus you won't have Microsoft Office like with Windows. You only get the online Google Docs. If you're ok with that then go ahead and try it.
Is Chrome OS same as Android OS. I have not heard about the Chrome OS only Chrome Browser. Please inform further.
I haven't used Chrome OS, but I think it's more similar to Windows than it is to Android. Like almari_011 mentioned, you have Google Docs instead of Microsoft Office. In Android, you only have paid apps to read and create Word and Excel files. I would call it something between Android and Windows, but I may be wrong!
I would suggest buying it only if you are comfortable with Chrome OS. While Chrome is a decent product, it is still light years away from getting as popular as Windows or iOS so Google has decided to bundle it with notebooks to increase its popularity. While I don't have anything against Chromebook, I certainly wouldn't buy it since I do my work on a Windows system and I am not even sure whether all my programs would run on a Chrome OS.
The Google Chrome OS is still missing a lot of functionalities and utilities. And it is not that easy to suddenly switch to the Chrome OS from Windows or Linux. Wait for one or two years.... Google is working hard on the OS... I am sure that within 2 years they will be able to give MS a run for their money. But right now... buy the tablet at your own risk.
I bought mines last week, and I have to say it is an amazing laptop. Its way better than my acer aspire I bought for the same price a year ago. I have to say if you looking for a cheap useable laptop then this should fit you.
