Google and Samsung unveiled the new $249 Google Chromebook, a laptop aimed at all tiers of computer users including families and newbies alike.
The new laptop is now available for pre-order online from Amazon, Best Buy, PC World and other retailers. Next week it will be available for sale from these same online retailers as well as the Google Play store and at Best Buy retail stores.
"A few years ago, we set out on a journey to build a better computer that's faster, simpler and more secure," Sundar Pichai, SVP, Chrome & Apps wrote on Google's official blog. "When we introduced a few Chromebooks into the market, many of you early adopters joined us on this journey. For folks living entirely in the cloud, the Chromebook is now a primary computer."
The new laptop is very similar to the MacBook Air and has an 11.6-inch screen with a 1366 x 768 display, WiFi, two USB ports and a built-in webcam. The device can show 1080p high-resolution videos and even has an HDMI outport. According to the blog entry, "it's 2.5 pounds, a mere 0.8 inches thick, with more than 6 hours of battery life for the typical user. And with 100 GB of free storage on Google Drive."
It runs a trimmed down version of Google OS and has a dual-core ARM processor with 2GB of RAM. The Chromebook also runs all of Google's products like Gmail, Drive, Search, Maps, YouTube, Play and Google+ Hangouts.
The laptop has 16GB of storage but it also has a micro-SD port that will allow users to add up to 64GB of additional storage space.
What do you think of Google's Chromebook by Samsung? Will you be getting one? Is this a better device than the iPad or iPad mini? Would you get one for yourself, or an older relative? Comment below and watch the new laptop's commercial.