Chromebook Takes Top Place In Laptop Sales On Amazon 372
rtfa-troll writes "Amazon's latest table of the top selling laptops will be a surprise for many on Slashdot whose first reaction when we discussed this before was 'so what,' with pundits describing it as 'an enterprise contender.' Given the recent launch and huge advertising campaign, you might expect that the top selling consumer laptop would be based on Win8. If you read recent discussions about Microsoft's troubled new system you might expect a Mac to be leading, but Google's Chromebook topping the sales chart on a consumer site without any major advertising campaign is a major surprise. We've discussed before that apart from its web based ChromeOS, Chromebooks are also very fast running Ubuntu Linux and have several other distributions already ported."
People not aware that it runs ChromeOS? (Score:4, Interesting)
My big question is what the return rate will be like. I suspect that some people are expecting a full desktop OS, like Windows.
Not surprising if you think about it (Score:5, Interesting)
It's cheap and do what most people want a laptop to do - check emails, surf the web and type up the occasional letter. It's also a good machine for geeks, since it's not locked down with Windows or OSX - meaning you can stick any flavour of Linux you want on it if you know how. In the current economic situation it taps into the same markets as the original netbooks - the 7" and 9" Eee - did; people needing a cheap machine to get online and geek-heads wanting a toy.
The danger is off course that the Chromebook will go down the same slippery slope as the netbooks fif; bigger screens, more beefed up hardware... until they are just another laptop.
Re:Great system for parents (Score:4, Interesting)
Yes, though Hangouts are a good replacement.
But it's not a lack of skype, it's a lack of each and every local app, but then again, that's part of the concept.
Another kick in the balls for Intel. Thanks ARM! (Score:4, Interesting)
Yes I know, Chipzilla is doing just fine, thankyaverymuch. But think about it: about 10 years ago we thought AMD would be the big challenger that would compete with Intel and reduce the Wintel monopoly. But AMD only did that semi-effectively. Yes it helped control costs (God help us to think what we'd be paying for computers these days if Intel were allowed to set its prices in a world without competition). But Android on ARM, some netbooks not long ago, and now Chromebooks seem to be the ones challenging the dominant computing paradigm. That means ARM has actually been the chip(s) that is currently causing the folks at Intel to sweat a little bit. Interesting times we live in.
Re:People not aware that it runs ChromeOS? (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Not surprising if you think about it (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:It is a great system with Ubuntu (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Targeted customers (Score:4, Interesting)
You get a gaming PC (hardware only) for £600, but Windows 7/8/whatever costs an extra £200. Same in Norway, Get a gaming PC for 6000 Kronar, but Windows whatever costs another 2000 Kronar, which amounts to the cost of another GPU card, external backup drive, some extra memory or simply 2/3 weeks food shopping.
What is the major difference between Windows 7/8 and XP or a Linux distro? Just the GUI
Apple like for $300 (Score:4, Interesting)
I am willing to bet that the MBA-types at places like HP are scratching their heads saying HP entry models are better than that damn thing as they go through a check list of how their machines are so much better feature for feature not realizing that 98% of customers don't even know what RAM does but their customers do know what they like when they see a friend with one and see that it runs a HD youtube video just as smoothly as the HP machine that has way more "L2 Cache".
The other thing that the MBA types are not realizing is that they are no longer competing with the laptop next to theirs in the display section of Staples or Best Buy but they are competing with the cell phone in the person's pocket.
Re:Great system for parents (Score:5, Interesting)
Try Google Hangouts. It works much better than Skype.
Somebody mod this up, please! Google Hangouts has been so very much more stable than Skype ever was when video chatting with our son off at college. Skype would die 2-3 times during a normal conversation, and we'd have to reconnect. Google Hangouts is rock solid so far, and leverages account credentials we already use heavily. No need to maintain a second username and password for the Skype ecosystem.
Re:Not surprising if you think about it (Score:5, Interesting)
Not quite the same markets as the original netbooks, there is a difference and that is android and ios.
non computer geeks had the mind set that they needed a windows pc like they had at work otherwise it wouldn't be compatible. The alternative was either a Mac or some obscure Linux machine.
The netbooks that were released with Linux either had the obscure xandros or the even more obscure linpus. Which were even disliked by people who liked to run linux.
The modern day computer buyer is not so naive as in 2007/2008 they have been using Android or IOS or both have been able to choose from 1000's of apps and games and there is a huge number that run in the browser.
Windows is an unpleasant experience from new, the trial ware, antivirus warnings and hard sell that come with a new windows system are confusing and frightening people. Nobody wants to deal with this junk. Even the create a back up disc is scary, you get one chance to make this disk if you mess up you are without a paddle, when was the last time you were asked to set up a windows device, pretty recently if you are the go to guy when it comes to computers.
Microsofts strategy is still obviously "you need windows" which is why they push the "windows experience" on every device and is also why they are failing, Chances are most people have a windows laptop in the house, (people do not want a work station at home ,it is their home) In the vague circumstances that they need windows it is there and these days gathering dust.
There is next to zero configuration to do on an android or ios device usually its just a question of typing in the password written on the back of the router, and with android your google name and password. you do that and your pretty much set. Chromebook is pretty much more of the same.
Google has pretty much changed the landscape, about one of the few things people want to do that is slightly complicated is edit photo's and google gave us picassa. they gave us google docs and a place to keep the letters and spreadsheets and pdf files and its all there for us anywhere on our google accounts. I'm fairly sure apple does the same for ios and osx users.
Everything is simpler to do now. If i want to watch a movie that is on my tablet i can plug 1 hdmi cable from my TV / home cinema and hit play. it is that easy. With things like dlna i can have any media on my tablet or phone and playing on my tv. Did you never listen to the people who were saying how do i watch this on my tv not on my laptop.
So no it's not just a replacement for the netbook of a few years ago times have changed, people have changed and Microsoft are losing out. You know Google has been very clever in that they haven't locked down the chromebooks they have included developer mode, even look at the name doesn't it stroke your ego to be called a developer, not a neck beard or a computer geek. So there is Linux for those of us who want a little more and the best stuff that gets created will probably end up in android or chromebook or ios.
Repositories are a great idea, App stores are even better, play store is better than that, it's not work its play!
To be fair look at the Repositories which are full of version numbers, no reviews a screenshot if your lucky no user feedback no developer feedback for the users. No alternatives and other programs you might like to try.
The playstore doesn't make a big deal about installing an App in fact they say carry on shopping while we download and install this and no stupid questions like do you want to install this here? or maybe not install this option? Shopping who doesn't like shopping and when most of the goods on sale are at the low price point of free, well maybe free with some ads (because nothings really free, is it). The ads probably don't sell a thing except the pro version of the software you are using.
Microsoft is as boring as it gets, don't you remember when everything was beige and to get hip everything became black and blue led strips
The major difference is the applications (Score:5, Interesting)
What is the major difference between Windows 7/8 and XP or a Linux distro? Just the GUI
I truly wish that was the major difference. If that was all that was different I would have switched our company away from Windows years ago and so would many others. The major difference is the applications and that is the only difference that truly matters. If everything was written cross-platform, then you would have a credible argument.
For better or worse there are a LOT of applications (including games) that only run on Windows and it remains sadly true that there often are no acceptable replacements. Our accounting software, MRP software, CAD software and some others simply are not available on linux, nor is there any acceptable substitute. We use LibreOffice, GIMP, Scribus, Inkscape, Chrome, Thunderbird, VNC, and more but there simply is no way we could get rid of our Windows boxes in the near future because of the applications we need to use. The moment there is a linux version of Quickbooks Enterprise and a compatible MRP system, I'd dump windows that minute but that simply isn't going to happen in the foreseeable future.