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Google Shops have been popping up in Best Buy and Curry’s PC World stores in Canada and the UK, showing off Google’s latest wares like the Pixel, Daydream, and Google Home.
One addition to these Shops that has us very encouraged is the selection of Chromebooks on offer.
As you can see in the following video, Chromebooks aren’t left out of Google’s hardware showcase, and that is a reason to be encouraged if you are a fan of Chrome OS.
First, check out the video.
As you can see, Google’s latest and greatest hardware is on display here. Ever since the 10/4 #madebygoogle Hardware Event, we’ve seen Google focus in and begin marketing these new products pretty hard.
And there’s been a pretty good amount of success: especially with the Pixel.
While it was an awesome event and it has been fantastic to see some products made by Google have some serious commercial success, I felt a bit left out as a Chromebook fan.
Where is the #madebygoogle Chromebook? Where is the marketing support for these devices we love? With rumors continuing to swirl here and there about Andromeda, I think it is fair for the Chromebook crowd to be asking: what about us?
Some Inclusion
I felt encouraged, then, when I saw these Google Shops start showing up not only with the new #madebygoogle hardware, but with a good selection of current Chromebooks as well.
These shops are part of an overall marketing push to get Google’s hardware in front of people in a tangible, usable way. And these shops are clearly directed at consumers.
While Google has done very well with taking over the education market, they’ve not done much marketing to the general consumer when it comes to Chromebooks.
Having Chromebooks in these shops is a clear sign that Google is still behind the platform making waves in the consumer segment of the market.
Along with the upcoming Samsung Chromebook Pro, there are some other devices on the way that should have mass consumer appeal. They simply need to find their way in front of consumers in ways that people who don’t consider Chromebooks for themselves or their families might have their minds changed.
Chrome OS Isn’t Going Anywhere
Between the massive Education footprint, growing Enterprise presence, and the odds-and-ends proliferation of Chrome OS in routers, Chromecasts, kiosks, and Google Home, Chrome OS is here to stay.
The only question I have is: will it make a decent splash in the consumer market? Will Google stand behind the platform and begin pushing it to the public the way it has with its own in-house products?
I believe if they do, as Chromebooks begin to smoothly integrate Android Apps out of the box, some marketing support could really put Chromebooks into a new phase in the consumer market.
It won’t happen without marketing, physical presence, and continued support. If we continue seeing inroads in all these things, I believe the future for Chromebooks is very bright, indeed.
