It’s not a tablet, it’s not a laptop…it’s a Chromebook?
Tablets offer little in the way of local storage (with the exception of Archos). Notebooks offer all the local storage you could possibly need. They both allow you to store information in the cloud. So where does the “Chromebook” fit?
Smack dab in the middle of the action.
Cloud storage is a given…anything with an Ethernet or wireless connection can store content in the cloud. Where Google’s Chromebook differs from the likes of the iPad is with memory card support and support for external USB 2.0 drives. Two things that iPad users have asked for in the past, but Apple has avoided providing. In fact, the only thing that separates the Google Chromebook from being a traditional laptop is the lack of local storage…no hard drive, and no SSD drive. Heck, maybe this is simply a netbook, and Google is attempting to resurrect the dying platform by avoiding the nomenclature, and creating a new category of Chromebooks. I argued the case for storage as a differentiator…maybe my wish is coming true.
For me, I am a fan. I’m an avid user of the Chrome browser, Gmail, Google Docs, Reader, among other things, and I appreciate the simplicity and speed of the platform. I guess like many others, I am now stuck in the middle….do I go iPad or Chromebook? The storage friendly nature of the Chromebook has me thinking hard about that…
What are you thinking?
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[…] Intel Ultrabooks…but where do they fit and how do we? Chromebook: when it comes to storage options, it’s a tweener When it comes to Apple’s iPad competition, could storage be a differentiator? A tablet with a hard […]
Saying that Chromebook’s have “no SSD drive” is actually false. I own and sole use a Chromebook (Samsung 3G) and it has a 16 gig SSD. The Acer Chromebook has a 16 gig SSD as well.
@David Thanks for the clarification David. Some of the early specs did not indicate any internal storage, but as systems became available, it was apparent that they do – to you point. By the way, how do you like the Samsung Chromebook? I am still considering getting one. Let me know – Thanks, Mark.
Chromebooks are great and they really make the case for personal cloud – in fact I’ve just bought one big problem though web access by every major manufacturer requires Java – chromebooks do not and will never run Java