The allure of Google's new Chromebook 11, available for purchase on Tuesday according to this Google blog post, is price and convenience -- especially for those intensely attached to their smart phones.
The question is whether it will become a mainstream choice among the ranks of Windows and Apple, according to CNET.
Physically, Chromebook 11 more closely resembles a phone than most laptops. According to the Google blog, it's one of the thinnest and lightest laptops on the market.
"And when you're traveling, you don't need to throw an extra charger into your bag," Google's blog reads. "The HP Chromebook 11 is powered by a micro-USB charger, which can also be used to juice up your Android phone or tablet."
Inside, the Chromebook 11 features further connections to mobile devices. The laptop operates on the same processor commonly used in smart phones and tablets, according to CNET.
With its new laptop, Google hopes to improve upon the limited success of its earlier Chromebooks, which start at $199. Though embraced by schools and other "bargain buyers", the $199 models were never seen as competition to mainstream choices like Windows and Apple because of relatively "limited capabilities," CNET reported.
Along with its smart phone user technology, Google will be counting on design updates and other enhancements to propel its laptop to commercial success.
"We took a page out of X-Men," Google executive Caesar Sengupta said on the laptops design, referencing the magnesium component that makes up the shell and creates a stable feel. The Chromebook 11 also features an improved screen and more integrative speakers and fan, according to CNET.
CNET cautions that Chromebook 11 might fall to the same pitfalls as its predessor. It offers many programs yet excels at none in particular; additionally, even budget Windows laptops offer more software options.
Google's silver lining, according to CNET, might be in the clouds.
"At the same time, Chromebooks can be arguably more useful, because they largely operate in the cloud, rather than being held back by the low-power processors used to run local apps that were the downfall of the netbook," CNET author Roger Cheng wrote.
