Google debuted Chrome OS nearly two years ago, but the search giant and its partners including Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo, Toshiba, as well as Asus have yet to launch a Chrome OS-based netbook. Chrome OS is essentially Google’s Chrome browser with limited driver support for hardware components. Netbooks running Chrome OS will depend primarily on online data storage with a small amount of onboard drive space.
Clock Ticking
Apple is already shipping more iPads than some single netbook manufacturers. The company sold about 15 million iPads in 2010, while Asus shipped just 6 million of its popular Eee PC netbooks during that same time. Analysts have also predicted big gains for Apple’s iPad 2 with as many as 500,000 sold in the first three days of the product’s launch. Apple has not announced any official iPad 2 sales numbers.
Glimmer of Hope
The one advantage a Chrome OS netbook could have over tablets would be pricing, if recent rumors of a $200 Asus device turn out to be correct. The cheapest iPad currently costs $500 and Motorola recently announced its Android-based Wi-Fi only Xoom tablet will sell for $600. If Asus can launch a Chrome OS netbook that costs half as much as an iPad, that may be enough to woo people away from touch-based tablets and back to a more traditional laptop device.
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