Mark your calendars if you're anything of a Chromebook fan. Even better if you're a fan of both Chrome OS and Android. Samsung has formally confirmed what has been leaked by Amazon. The Chromebook Pro, perhaps the Chromebook flagship of 2017, is finally landing in stores on Sunday. And if the latest round of rumors do come to pass, it's going to be the Chromebook to beat this year. Or a huge letdown.
Were Samsung and Google listening in? Probably not but, just a week after word went out on how the Chromebook Pro is long overdue, the Chromebook Pro finally goes on pre-order, with a shipping date set for the end of the month. But while that does indeed seem to be good news, the issues that supposedly caused the delay in the first place still casts a cloud of doubt over what is set to be the most premium Chromebook to date.
It is nearly a year since Google promised the invasion of Android apps on Chromebooks. It is also nearly half a year since Samsung and Google flaunted the Chromebook Plus 2-in-1, promised to have full Android app support. Neither have yet come to fruition in any substantial, let alone final way. Although is lesser sibling, the Chomebook Plus, has long launched in the market, the Samsung Chromebook Pro remains unlisted. And, according to The Verge, it could very well be due to that Android app support.
Android apps on Chrome OS is a long time coming. Probably too long. It has been months since Google officially announced the arrival of Google Play Store on Chrome devices but it has yet to make any significant headway into that promise. Performance has not been rated well and its rollout is still pretty dismal. To better reflect that disappointing state of affair, Google has updated its list of Chrome OS devices eligible for Play Store support. And it's not all good news.
Lenovo has announced the new Flex 11, a 2-in-1 Chromebook with a 360-degree hinge that allows the display to fold all the way back or at any angle in-between. This particular model, as its name suggests, sports an 11.6-inch display, as well as a durable design thanks to its drop-resistant construction. According to Lenovo, this Chromebook can handle accidental drink spills, drops from heights up to 2.4ft, and more.
Earlier this week saw Google's senior VP of hardware clear up some remarks about the future of first-party Chromebooks. Fortunately, if you're a fan non-Google-made devices, the future continues to be bright with plenty of Chromebook options. The latest laptop comes from HP, Google has revealed, and is aimed at students in the classroom: the Chromebook x360 11 G1 Education Edition.
A few days back, Google senior vice president for hardware Rick Osterloh made news when he seemed to suggest that Google was done with its line of Pixel Chromebooks. He told reporters at MWC that Google didn't have any plans to produce a new one, which isn't encouraging to those who were hoping to see Google continue to release laptops of its own. Even worse was the fact that he said Google didn't have any plans to replenish the stock of the current Pixel Chromebooks, which are sold out on Google's store.
Once upon a time, Google’s branding scheme in the computing space was simple. It used “Nexus” for smartphones and tablets and “Pixel” for Chromebooks. Today, however, we have a Pixel C Android tablet, a Google Pixel phone and, ironically, no Pixel Chromebook in sight. At least not on Google’s store. And that isn’t by accident. In an interview with journalists at MWC 2017, newly-minted Google SVP for hardware Rich Osterloh revealed that, now that the Pixel Chromebooks have sold out, there are no plans to put out more Google-branded laptops. At least for the foreseeable future.
Chromebooks are definitely enjoying some publicity of late. Starting with the announcement of full support for Google Play Store, in other words Android, apps, the device class has gotten a fresh round of new devices, some more exceptional than others. The Samsung Chromebook Plus is definitely one of those. Announced at CES 2017 last month, the pen-toting, high-end convertible computer is now available for pre-orders, with a shipping schedule slated for a few weeks later.
It seems that Samsung will be shattering preconceived notions of what a Chromebook is. Back at CES last month, Samsung unveiled two Chromebook models, the Chromebook Plus and the Chromebook Pro, that defied the usual definition, sporting rather high end specs and, for the first time in the device category, a stylus. Now it seems that the Chromebook Pro, which has yet to get a launch date, might take things even higher. A source code change in Chromium lays the foundations for a Chromebook Pro with 8 or even 16 GB of RAM in the near future.
Dell has unveiled a new lineup of products designed for educational institutions, including a pair of 55-inch and 86-inch interactive touch monitors, a convertible Chromebook and convertible Latitude, a couple non-convertible netbooks, and even some Dell Mobile Computing carts. The products were unveiled at the BETT Show in London, and will be launching at various price points starting early next month.
Google and some of its partners have revealed a few things that should have Chromebook fans gushing, and maybe Android users a bit anxious. Perhaps to emphasize that its Chrome OS platform and Chromebook device line is far from dead, Google has revealed two new Chromebooks with a more creative bent. That ties in well with Adobe's announcement of its Android apps being optimized for Chromebooks, heralding the day when Android apps on Chromebooks will be as normal as Android apps on Android devices.
