During the next@Acer press conference today, the company announced its 2018 lineup of Chromebooks. The line includes four new Chromebooks in all; two with 13-inch displays and two with 15-inch displays. As you'd probably expect, a couple of these Chromebooks are convertibles, including one of the 15-inch models, which is a first for Acer.
The Internet is abuzz with rumors of a $400 Surface 2-in-1 tablet in the works. Microsoft's premium portable computers have been positively received save for the price tag that very few could afford. This sudden change in direction was reportedly prompted by the tablet renaissance ushered in by the 6th gen iPad. Windows tablets, however, are nothing new and some of them are even as cheap as an iPad. Very few, if any at all, succeeded and Microsoft risks ruining its chances in this arguably promising market. Here are some of the things Microsoft needs to check off if it doesn't want a repeat of the Windows RT.
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.
Chrome OS is slowly but surely transforming into an all-in-one, general purpose operating system, the Google OS that many might have been waiting for. While running Windows software is still a bit roundabout, Chrome OS already supports directly running Android apps and, announced at I/O 2018, now Linux apps as well. More than just simply increasing the number of things you can run on a Chromebook, this move opens up the platform for development, including creating Android apps right on Chromebooks.
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.
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.
In the past few weeks we've seen some real crazy rumors about what Apple will present today at their big education event. They've included cheaper iPads, a new MacBook Air, and even a new iMac Pro. One wildly maniacal rumor suggested Apple was making a new iPad to fight the last vestiges of resistance in the Android tablet market. But what's most obvious - and most likely - isn't what Apple's hiding. It's what Apple's already made plainly obvious.
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.