Google (NASDAQ:
GOOG
) and Samsung are big fans of the belief that if at first they
don't succeed, they should keep trying (and spend more money on
advertising) until they get it right. After a 15-month struggle
to turn the Chromebook into the next big laptop, it seems that
the two companies are finally on the right track. The
latest Chromebook
, which features 2GB RAM, an 11.6-inch display and a 1.7 GHz
dual-core processor, comes in two varieties -- Wi-Fi and
3G/Wi-Fi. The former has
climbed to the top
of Amazon's (NASDAQ:
AMZN
) best-seller list, beating Apple's (NASDAQ:
AAPL
) 13-inch MacBook Pro. The 3G Chromebook comes in at third place,
followed by the 13-inch MacBook Air. The colossal 15.6-inch Dell
(NASDAQ:
DELL
) Inspiron rounds out the top five.
Last Thursday, Gartner (NYSE:
IT
) analyst Carolina Milanesi told
Computerworld
that she was not sure that the low price point would have a great
impact on sales. "Consumers do not want to choose between apps
and Internet; they want both," she said. "The $249 is certainly
an interesting price point, but consumers have been burned with
netbooks and will be cautious and look beyond the price tag."
It is true that netbooks have
disappointed many consumers
. Their smaller bodies and lower price tags have resulted in
cheaper products that fail to perform as well as full-fledged
laptops that are marginally more expensive.
That said, it seems that consumers have faith in Google's
ability to produce a great product. While the first batch of
Chromebooks failed to catch on, the new iteration is doing quite
well.
Google has not yet shipped the computer to retailers, but Best
Buy (NYSE:
BBY
) estimates that those who pre-order the device will receive
theirs
in six to 10 days
.
In addition to Google, Apple and Dell machines, Sony (NYSE:
SNE
) and Asus computers are doing well on Amazon. In fact, Asus
commands three of the top 10 sales positions. Hewlett-Packard
(NYSE:
HPQ
) did not perform as well, but its 15.6-inch Pavilion laptop
currently holds the 12th position.
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