The march to ever cheaper computing and greater flexibility continues. Firstly, Chromebooks - laptops running the Chrome OS - for $149 (£100) have been announced. There are models from Chinese manufacturers Haier and HiSense, with initial availability in the USA only. The main compromise is that they use ARM processors rather than Intel ones, but the first reports are that they are perfectly adequate machines for this price point. |
Such low-cost computers open up a number of possibilities. They are expected to sell well in the education market and in developing countries, as well as to individuals who simply want something cheap and cheerful they can carry around with them. Another possibility, given the HDMI connection, is to plus one into a television to make it even 'smarter'.