Samsung and Acer are launching two new notebooks running Google’s Chrome OS this summer in the U.S. and six European countries. Acer’s Chromebook will start at $ 349, and Samsung’s model will be priced $ 429 for its WiFi model and $ 499 for a model with 3G connectivity. The devices will go on sale on June 15 and will be available online in the U.S. through Amazon.com and Best Buy’s online store.
Samsung will also bring a Chromebox thin desktop to market that can be used in business settings. The Chromebox will be part of a program called Chrome for business that’s basically a subscription model, priced at $ 28 per month per user. Chrome for business will offer support and cloud services, and devices will be replaced at the end of their life cycle.
A third initiative is Chromebooks for schools, which will be available per student for $ 20 per month, and will include the same kind of service as the business offering. Chrome for business and Chromebooks for schools will also be available starting on June 15, with Google directly handling the orders. Google is launching its consumer, business and education offerings in the U.K., France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Italy. Google is working with local carriers to make 3G connectivity available in each of these markets.
Google unveiled the original Chrome OS laptop, dubbed CR-48, back in December, which was only distributed as part of an invite-only pilot program. Pichai said that more than a million people applied for the program within a few weeks, adding that the company has “literally shipped thousands of devices” since.
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