Last month, HP took the wraps off a gorgeous new detachable laptop running Chrome OS. Called the HP Chromebook x2, this model features a tablet that connects to a keyboard using a magnetic hinge. The model runs the latest version of Google's OS that doesn't require a keyboard, putting it up against Apple and its newest iPad model.
Unlike releases for other operating systems like Windows or macOS, Chrome OS releases often pass by unnoticed because of how fast and how often they happen, following the releases of the Chrome browser. But while Chrome OS version 66 rolled out without much fuss and fanfare, it is still quite a notable and important one. Not only does it brings features from Chrome 66 itself, it also finally closes the door on this year's biggest security scare: the Meltdown vulnerability.
In early January, ASUS introduced multiple products including the Chromebox 3, a miniature desktop that runs Google's Chrome OS. Chromebox 3 is the latest model in ASUS's Chromebox lineup; this one features an 8th-generation Intel Core processor, among other things. Now, four months later and only a couple weeks after Acer launched its own alternative, ASUS has officially started taking preorders.
Who needs a combined Android and Chrome OS when Chrome OS can pretty much run it all. There's native Chrome OS, of course, and official Android support via Google Play Store. There's even preliminary Windows support via WINE for Android on Chrome OS. And, soon, Chromebooks might be able to run Linux programs as well. That possibility already was hinted at last February but might be coming really soon with the appearance of the Terminal app in Chrome OS' dev channel.
Laptops are made for typing and Chromebooks are really no different, be it traditional, convertible, or even detachable. But typing on the go doesn't always happen in the most favorable conditions and you might find yourself fumbling in the dark for the right keys. So it was terribly baffling when Samsung launched its Chromebook Pro last year without one critical feature: a backlit keyboard. And now just as baffling, Samsung has very silently sneaked in a new Chromebook Pro model that adds exactly that but at an unsurprisingly higher price.
In January, Acer introduced a number of new products, among them the Chromebox CXI3. Unlike Chromebooks, which are laptops running Chrome OS, the Chromebox is a small desktop offering Google's operating system. A big selling point is the model's tiny size, which enables users to mount it behind a monitor or hide it away under a desk. The model is now available to preorder.
Google seems to be pretty busy shaping up Chrome OS to be a bigger threat to its rivals than ever before. After the first Chromebook tablet, the Acer Chromebook Tab 10, came the first detachable Chromebook, the HP Chromebook x2 pictured above. And it seems it's about to get even better. There are hints that Chrome OS' first 4K device, codenamed Atlas, is already in the works and now it seems that it will also be a detachable 2-in-1 as well.
HP was one of the first to have a Windows on ARM convertible, and now it's getting in early on Chromebook tablets, with the launch of the HP Chromebook x2. Building on the new version of Google's OS that's designed to work on devices that don't necessarily have keyboards, the Chromebook x2 arguably offers the best of both worlds.
There's a codename now for the next most impressive Chromebook in the history of Chromebooks. Google's code-named this device Atlas, and it's about to hold the whole world wide web up on its shoulders - that is, a 4K display. A device of this stature would fit right in with Google's gap in hardware coverage for the highest end of great for ChromeOS devices.
Last week, two tech giants made a big attempt at grabbing our future. Google and Apple, long-time rivals and frenemies, announced two education-centric device. Both are interesting in their own right. One is the first Chrome OS tablet, the other the first non-Pro tablet that supports the Apple Pencil. Both are trying to sell themselves not just to individual buyers or even students but to educational institutions and school districts as well. Given a choice between the 2018 iPad and the Acer Chromebook Tab 10, which should consumers and educators choose? We took seven key factors and made the two tablets face off to find out.
Education has become a pretty big topic in recent weeks. Tomorrow, Apple will host an event in Chicago where it's expected to announce new education initiatives, along with a low-cost iPad meant for use in the classroom. Never one to be outdone, Google is doubling down on its educations efforts today, and it's recruited Acer to the cause.
This morning Google revealed Chromebook tablets, a slightly different form-factor for their low-cost Chrome OS devices. These devices will have their own built-in stylus, touchscreen, and the simplicity of a tablet. And yes, they're called Chromebook Tablets, even though they are flat, and not nearly as much like a "book" as the laptop.