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Real World Stats Show Chromebooks Are Struggling
recoiledsnake writes "The first real world stats for Chromebooks show that they're struggling to have any traction in the marketplace. In its first week of monitoring worldwide usage of Google's Chrome OS, NetMarketShare reported that the percentage of web traffic from Chromebooks was roughly 2/100 of 1 percent, a figure too small to earn a place on its reports. The first Chromebooks went on sale in June 2011, nearly two years ago, with Acer reportedly selling fewer than 5000 units in the first six months and Samsung selling even fewer. In the past three years, Chromebook sales have been worse than even three months worth of WindowsRT sales. Perhaps users are heeding Stallman's warning on Chromebooks. We previously discussed reports of Chromebook topping Amazon sales, selling to 2000 schools and wondered whether QuickOffice on ChromeOS can topple Microsoft Office." I find ChromeOS good in some contexts (any place that a browser and a thin layer of Linux is all you need), but the limitations are frustrating — especially on hardware that can run a conventional Linux as well as Google's specialized one. We'll watch for developments in the Google hardware world at next week's I/O conference.
Make it a linux machine with deep ties to the net, not an internet machine with crappy compromises for offline use. Make it an offline machine FIRST, then worry about adding your online hooks.
Good-bye
Well, it's atleast doing better than the following:
Nexus Q
Google Wave
Google Buzz
etc.
Not long before it might go the way of the Google Reader and get scrapped.
In the past three years, Chromebook sales have been worse than even three months worth of WindowsRT sales.
Should read "in the past two years". Sorry for the typo.
This space for rent.
I just bought an Acer C7 a couple of weeks ago.
Light weight, fast enough. Good web browsing experience.
I wouldn't have it as my only computer, but over all I think it will make one heck of a good momputer.
If I were God, wouldn't I protect my churches from acts of me?
Perhaps users are heeding Stallman's warning on Chromebooks.
You're joking, right? Please tell me this wasn't actually a serious statement...
>> whether QuickOffice can topple Microsoft Office
Isn't the real battle Google Docs vs. Microsoft Office?
Just checked the logs for a site I run. Over 375,930 unique visitors 81 were using Chrome OS. That's what 0.024% I think. Which is the same as the reports figures.
Can you print from Chrome OS btw?
Chromebooks have been topping the Amazon sales charts. Clearly TFA's numbers are bullshit because you don't top Amazon by selling less than 5,000 units.
X is dying. Slashdot confirms it. One of the oldest trolls that still works.
const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
Between Tablets, eReaders, and smart phones why would anyone want a crippled Chromebook laptop?
My thought is that most people who are in the market now for a Laptop are looking for something more capable to do work, etc. For everything else they are using tablets or smart phones.
Hardware loss leader, designed to make money on the backend either via servies or advertising deals to the manufacturer. Instantly hacked to be more or less useful, thereby negating the business model which produced it.
I want to delete my account but Slashdot doesn't allow it.
Google is a wonderful company, and their products are useful and seductive and beautifully interlinked. But they're free to use and you're not the customer. And every day a certain number of people have their Google account blocked, for one reason or another, and find that there's no recourse to Google to fix that. In fact, there's no customer service department at all.
Examples on the internet of this are easy to find:
http://www.searchenginejournal.com/open-letter-to-google-why-have-you-taken-away-my-google-gmail-accounts/7873/
http://classicsynth.hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Get-Disabled-Google-Account-Back
Now imagine that this happens to you, and your laptop has just become a paperweight. And this time, you've paid for it. Hmmm.
Chromebooks are like tablets. They are generally complementary products for desktops and laptops, not replacement products. They are a device you can leave on your coffee table and do a little web browsing and email from your couch. Similarly your guests can pick it up and use it from the couch. It can be a box to help keep others off of your main pc or laptop, less malware risk.
My school just ordered 30 and plans to get 30 more. A simple, inexpensive way to get devices into lots of students hands. For research and simple content creation it's fast and convenient. As a teacher I love the fact that they can be up and running in 30 seconds.
As far as android/win8 or iOS, I do not even want to consider one of these without a touchscreen.
I would have bought one... if it supported SSL VPN.
Chromebooks are like tablets. [They are generally complementary products for desktops and laptops, not replacement products.]
That is totally wrong.
You are only saying that because of the surface issue of processing power.
No. You should really read that second sentence, it explains why chromebooks are like tablets. Its not about use cases, its about complementing a regular desktop/laptop not replacing it.
Tablet vs Chromebook is an entirely different topic. Each has use cases where one or the other is the better option.
I have a Samsung Chromebook and frankly, they are great for someone that just wants to check email and the web without worrying about viruses or tablet browser issues (such as flash or mobile site issues) but there are some things that make them a near impossible sell to people such as seniors.
1) Printing. I'd have sold 100+ chromebooks by now if they could plug in a USB printer and print out of the box. Google Cloud Print simply doesn't cut it here. Without a Cloud enabled printer, you're still tied to a PC.
2) Price. Try selling someone who is not computer savvy a $250 web browser. Seriously try it. In fact. Here's your two laptops. (I'll save your sanity and not dare mention the Chromebook Pixel).
HP Windows 8 Notebook
HP Chromebook
I guess you could start with the chromebook is going to be faster with no viruses, but they're going to ask you about printing, and if it plays their old games, ETC...
In Soviet Russia, Trojan exploits YOU!
i'm a technical user and OSX is a pain in my arse.
"it's just like linux - it has a proper terminal" i thought when i got my mac.
yeah... still punching at it to get it halfway as usable as apt-get install.
The whole netbook thing came and went already.
Yes, and I lament its passing. The thing is look at what happened.
ASUS eee 701: Very small, very light, very very cheap, decent build quality.
ASUS eee 900: Same size, very light, very cheap, decent build quality and actually quite capable.
Up until this point netbooks did ver well.
Then the rot set in.
Next they got a little larger and a little heavier.
The came the hard drives and bigger batteries to match and lower build quality to keep the price doen and bigger and heavier.
By the end a netbook was a crap laptop which had an OK battery life but was inexplicably slow for the price.
Just a reminder: my eee 900 is lightest than even the best ultrabooks, clocking in well under the Mac Air. I hate carrying round tons of crap, and it was the only entry in the cheap+light segment. I don't appear to be unique in this regard.
For some reason the manufacturers forgot what actually made the netbooks sell and made them into something they weren't: crap laptops.
As for playing movies: I have an original gen eee 900 and it can just cope with 720p H.264, which is comfortably above the resolution of the builtin monitor. The newer ones are considerably faster and have better GPUs, too.
end of rant.
SJW n. One who posts facts.