Back in August, the elusive ASUS Chromebook C301SA went up for pre-order and is still yet to ship. While doing research for a “where did the ASUS C301SA go?” article, we came across an in-stock, ready-to-ship listing for it.
Hooray! But a couple caveats apply.
First, this available model comes with 32GB of internal storage, not the 64GB we were all so excited about back in July. The 64GB model is still MIA and after some discussion with ASUS, we simply aren’t sure when we’ll actually see it hit shelves. More on this after we talk about the one you can order right now.
Costco is the only outlet we’ve seen have the device in stock and you can go there now and get this thing ordered as long as you are fine with 32GB of storage. Everything else is the same as what we’ve been reporting since July. Follow this link to get your purchase on.
There’s always the outlying chance that the listing is inaccurate and the device will come packing 64GB of storage. We’ll let you know soon as ours is on the way.
Wasn’t 64GB The Big Deal?
While we are glad to have this available option, the $299 32GB model seems underwhelming since ASUS touted 64GB at the same price when the device was announced. We are hopeful that when the 64GB devices do show up, the price on the 32GB goes down and the 64GB keeps that sticker price as promised.
If not, this could feel like a bit of a bait and switch move by ASUS and/or Costco. When we originally saw this device, there wasn’t even a mention of a 32GB model. Granted, the product page now shows 16GB, 32GB and 64GB variants now. So, if you consider buying this device from Costco, be warned that the 64GB looks likely to show up in a few weeks at the same exact price.
Buyer beware.
The reason we warn you is the listing at B&H (where we first saw preorders), showing the 64GB model available on November 6th. You can check it out right here, but with no firm date from ASUS, I’d take that date with a grain of salt. Also, B&H doesn’t offer a return option in the event that you don’t like it.
Regardless, it’s good to see this long-awaited device start showing up in places other than the ASUS product page. Good luck out there!
