You think the Chromebook is expensive?

I just noticed that the new 11 inch MacBook Air starts at just $999.

And that's worth the price ... because it runs Apple apps that people don't need?  It's twice the price of my pre-ordered 12 inch Samsung Chromebook!  TWICE!!  What the heck?  How does Apple get away with this?

Ode to David Pogue: love the Chromebook, you shnook.

See David's New York Times June 15, 2011 article:

A Laptop, Its Head in the Cloud

David, what happened to you?  You used to be so imaginative, so cool ... OK, not cool, but an OK mainstream media tech critic.  What the heck?

You have the advantage in having actually used the Samsung Chromebook that I have only pre-ordered but as mentioned in my June 9, 2011 post:


I cannot remember the last time I used my PC without the Internet.  Probably years.  And years since I used a PC program other than the browser and notepad (for copy and paste)...  In recent years I have created ALL my files using free google docs.

And from my previous post:

The wiseguy in of all places the New York Times who questioned why someone would buy a Chromebook for the same money as a low end laptop never wondered why someone would buy an iPad, or any tablet, for the same money as either.

The wiseguy was not Pogue, although I cannot remember who he/she was.

David, you wrote"

I tried valiantly to use the Samsung as my main machine, but by the end of a week, I was about ready to toss it like a Frisbee...


Is "the cloud" really where you want to keep the only copies of your most private, most important files?


(I) wonder why it’s as big, heavy and expensive as it is. 

1. It's got a 12 inch screen!  Who the heck uses such a small screen as his/her "main machine"?

2. The cloud is exactly where I want my files, almost all of which, I want people to read.  I often wonder what top secret documents people are producing.  Plus, the conventional paradigm is to keep their precious documents on a PC and back up the files to junk like a thumb drive for easy loss in transit and/or some clunky medium, which is stored beside the PC so that when the roof leaks both are destroyed simultaneously.

3. I agree: a Chromebook should be lighter, and much less expensive.  I'm hoping that future Chromebooks, including larger laptops and desktops, are priced lower as sales increase.

On June 10 I was notified by Best Buy that my Samsung Chromebook's "new release date is 06/19/2011".  Is that because so many people are pre-ordering it?  From my previous post:

I think this will catch on much more quickly than many pundits think.  They are comparing Chromebooks to laptops.  Try comparing Chromebooks to tablets, which sell for about the same as Chromebooks but are not as functional or practical.  Media types missed the boat on tablets and will miss another boat on Chromebooks.

Chromebook v.iPad2

Pre order Toshiba THRiVE tablet: no thanks.  I just got an e-mail message encouraging this.  I had signed up to be notified.  Thank goodness the Chromebook pre order opportunity preceded this or I might have been tempted.

This device, like the Apple iPad, makes my point.  The wiseguy in of all places the New York Times who questioned why someone would buy a Chromebook for the same money as a low end laptop never wondered why someone would buy an iPad, or any tablet, for the same money as either.

Since I don't like Apple, I'll compare my soon to arrive Samsung Chromebook to the iPad2, 3G versions.

Chromebook                        iPad2
screen 12.1" (1280x800, non-gloss, 16:10 apect ratio)           9.7" (1024x768, LED-backlit glossy widescreen)

full 74 key keyboard yes        none, only on screen
stays upright yes                   only with flimsy magic cover
weight: 3.3                            1.33 pounds
battery: 8.5                            9 hours
chip Intel ATOM N570 1.66Ghz    1GHz dual-core
ports VGA out, 2 USB           one USB for charging
camera 1MP HD webcam           Back HD recording (720p); front VGA

Except for the extra two pounds but still light, and the camera thing, which could be added, why would I prefer a tablet over a Chromebook?  Especially since the Chromebook should integrate nicely with my google account and free google docs, which is the smart way to do cloud computing, not like that pathetic proprietary imitation that Apple announced a few days ago.

Chromebook: yes!

I pre-ordered the Samsung Series 5 3G version of the Chromebook today.  I've been waiting for the google OS for a while.

I've read the unimaginative and repetitive comments like:

So, what are you going to do without Internet?


No internet = brick

I cannot remember the last time I used my PC without the Internet.  Probably years.  And years since I used a PC program other than the browser and notepad (for copy and paste).  Oh, and Microsoft Security Essentials, which I won't miss.

In recent years I have created ALL my files using free google docs.  Programs run from the google servers and my files are stored on the google servers.  No backup issues.  No sync issues.  That Apple announcement the other day about its cloud service to sync among the many over-priced Apple products was pathetic: late, meaningless, old tech.

Yes, I could continue to do cloud computing with a "real" PC.  Why should  I?  Why continue to use a bloated OS with legacy issues up the wazoo.  Let's see how well google does it.

I'm sure about the cloud computing model.  I'm not sure about this particular implementation but I'm willing to try it. I hope much bigger PCs are introduced with Chrome OS. How about a 17 inch laptop or 21 inch one piece desktop?

I think this will catch on much more quickly than many pundits think.  They are comparing Chromebooks to laptops.  Try comparing Chromebooks to tablets, which sell for about the same as Chromebooks but are not as functional or practical.  Media types missed the boat on tablets and will miss another boat on Chromebooks.