Positioned as "the computer for everyone", a new $249 Samsung Chromebook has been announced by Google.
The Samsung Chromebook has an 11.6-inch screen, is 0.8 inches thick, supports 1080p video, has 6.5 hours of battery life and can boot up in under 10 seconds. Users will also be given 100GB of Google Drive space for two years.
Google's senior VP of Chrome and apps, Sundar Pichai, says at the heart of the Chromebook vision is meeting the need for affordable and easy to use computers. The new Chromebook is being marketed as a secondary device rather than a replacement for a primary desktop or laptop.
"As a kid growing up in India, I was fascinated with computers and the endless possibilities they presented. I had to wait until college to finally get my hands on one in the computer lab and since then began dreaming of a world where everyone could have access to one. We're not quite there yet, but every day we get a bit closer," says Pichai.
The new products, made by Samsung and Acer, are being touted as PCs for people who don't like PCs. Doing away with everything but the browser, the Chromebook may be quite a shock to the traditional tech system.
The devices were introduced as part of Google's ongoing push to move people into the cloud, and run the entirely Web-based Chrome operating system.
The first Chromebooks released by Acer and Samsung last year were heavily criticised due to their relatively high price (the cheapest version started at $349), which essentially put them in the same category as some higher powered notebooks.
Recurring criticism among analysts and commentators was that Chromebooks were the same size as laptops and had a similar price, yet they had stripped down functionality.
Tech commentator John Gruber has already taken a swipe at the new Samsung Chromebook, posting a quote: "'You know what I'd like? An ARM-based computer that doesn't run anything other than a Web browser and gets only 6.5 hours of battery life.' ? No One."
Undeterred, Google says the Chromebook can be easily shared between different users who can all use their different Google accounts on the device, providing them with access to the Google apps they already use.
Pichai says: "For families, it's easy to use and share: for kids doing homework on the couch, parents catching up on e-mails at the kitchen counter, and grandparents staying connected on video chat. There's no need to worry about security updates, and maintenance is easy; all you need to do is charge the battery. It just works."
The Samsung Chromebook will go on sale next week via online retailers such as Amazon, and will also be available via the Google Play store.
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