Google tomorrow will announce sales of the new Chrome laptop in a $20 a month “student package” that combines both hardware and online services, writes Quentin Hardy on Frobes.
The product is almost certainly a precursor to an enterprise offering. Google Apps, an online product with features similar to Microsoft Office (word processing, spreadsheets, calendars, and other productivity software) is sold to business for $50 a year. An inexpensive Chrome laptop could be added to that for a small premium, somewhat the way mobile phones are sold below cost when tied to calling plans.
Having students try out the product — at a price cheaper than buying a laptop for school — amounts to a shakedown cruise for the eventual product. If successful, it also seeds the market for future demand, as students move into the workforce with expectations of working in cloud-based systems.
Read full article; http://blogs.forbes.com/quentinhardy/2011/05/10/google-to-announce-chrome-laptops-20month/
