Meta and Google have pulled out of the Web Summit, one of the tech sector's biggest annual events, after the organizer criticized Israel's actions following the Hamas attacks, the companies said on Friday.
Meet the Chromebook Plus Line: Google and Partners Unveil 8 Leveled-Up Laptops
02.10.2023 - 14:14 / pcmag.com
A Chromebook is not necessarily just a Chromebook anymore. Google, in concert with four of the major system OEMs, is introducing a new, special tier of the web-centric laptops today.
The models, dubbed Chromebook Plus, go on sale starting Oct. 8 in the US (a day later in Europe and Canada), and are defined by a set of minimum hardware specs to guarantee a certain level of performance and usability. The Chromebook Plus line was developed under the codename “Chromebook X." Rumors had speculated what the X initiative would be all about, but Google confirmed in our onsite briefing that Chromebook X and Chromebook Plus are the same thing.
These new models will be complemented by some intriguing tweaks to the ChromeOS UI, which in aggregate the company says are its biggest single-rollout changes in the history of the operating system. (See our separate article outlining the ChromeOS changes that are coming in parallel, including a UI theme that Google dubs "Material You.")
The first Chromebooks debuted in 2011, and while it might seem they have always been part of the computing landscape, they're actually a newer phenomenon than netbooks and even tablets like the first Apple iPad. The traditional Chromebook was a low-cost, low-spec system just good enough to run a web browser and a handful of tabs, and often priced to undercut the budget Windows machines of the day.
In recent years, however, we have seen the Chromebook market mature—and fragment—into segments for extreme budget models, education-focused Chromebooks, premium consumer machines, gaming Chromebooks, and even pricey, enterprise-tier ones. What Chromebook Plus aims to do is set a Chromebook baseline for an excellent experience that parallels what users are prioritizing in our post-pandemic, hybrid-work world of 2023, and at moderate prices. Rather than a given Chromebook model excelling in one or two areas (a great screen, an above-average webcam), the Plus models should hit sweet spots across their entire configurations.
In a way, Chromebook Plus resembles what Intel’s tried to do over the years with its Ultrabook and Intel EVO initiatives, defining certain minimum expectations to earn the family name and associate quality with the Intel brand. Unlike those Intel-specific examples, though, the Chromebook Plus will comprise machines powered by both Intel and AMD silicon.
Eight initial Chromebook Plus models will roll out from Acer, Asus, HP, and Lenovo, with machines starting at $399. These models will also benefit from AI enhancements coming to the Google core services that all Chromebooks rely on, and will also feature a three-month trial version of the cloud-based Photoshop, with access to Adobe Express.
So, about those hardware minimums.
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