Google Announces Chrome Laptops-$20/Month

Google announced sales of the new Chrome laptop in a $20 a month “student package” that combines both hardware and online services, according to a senior Google executive.
The product is almost certainly a precursor to an enterprise offering. Google Apps, an online product with features similar to Microsoft Office (word processing, spreadsheets, calendars, and other productivity software) is sold to business for $50 a year. An inexpensive Chrome laptop could be added to that for a small premium, somewhat the way mobile phones are sold below cost when tied to calling plans.
Having students try out the product — at a price cheaper than buying a laptop for school — amounts to a shakedown cruise for the eventual product. If successful, it also seeds the market for future demand, as students move into the workforce with expectations of working in cloud-based systems.

“Small and medium-sized businesses are banging on our doors to get something like this,” the executive said.

The browser-based office productivity system may also promise businesses more control over what employees do online. Google offers ways companies can set where employees go, and how they can access internal data.

The greatest difficulty with Google Apps for now may be the ability to work offline, when temporarily disconnected from the Web. Google executives involved with the program said the company is very close to solving that problem, however.

 

 

 

 

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