This week on The Chrome Cast, we spend our time talking through two confusing segments of the current Chromebook market: tablets and high-end Chromebooks. Both of these categories have great current and upcoming options, but both are likely confusing for consumers on the outside looking in.
For outsiders, it probably looks like the market for Chrome OS tablets is nearly dead in the water. With Google getting out of the tablet game and only seeing one real Chrome OS tablet emerge in 2020 (Lenovo Duet), it could be easy to infer that this segment is on the way out. But when we look at ‘Coachz’ and all this tablet looks to be bringing to the table, the conversation shifts to one of excitement and anticipation. While we definitely hope more Snapdragon 7c and MediaTek MT 8192/8195 devices end up as detachable tablets, we don’t know if that will be the case. So we end up with a Chromebook segment that doesn’t look to be thriving but is still confusingly ripe with possibility.
In a different way, the high-end of the Chromebook market is in a confusing position, too. Upended with devices like the Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 and the Acer Spin 713 being less than $600 most days, the high-end Chromebook ($800+) is a tough sell right now. Sure, with Tiger Lake Chromebooks, AMD Ryzen Chromebooks, and their much-improved GPU abilities, we could see reason for this upper-tier to make a strong comeback. But for now, it is a super-strange time for expensive Chromebooks and they can be a pretty hard sell for many consumers.
NOTABLE LINKS
- A quick look at Parallels and Zero-Touch Enrollment on Chrome OS [Video]
- Motorola is the latest to start shipping an Android desktop, and that’s good news for Chromebooks
- HP Chromebook Elite c1030 unboxing and hands-on [VIDEO]
- A bug report just leaked a Core i7 Tiger Lake Chromebook, likely Acer
- New Samsung Galaxy Chromebook is reportedly in the works
- Google’s Pixel Slate may have been discontinued and why it’s not that big of a deal
- We may know the manufacturer for the upcoming Snapdragon Chromebook tablet ‘Coachz’
This episode is sponsored by VIZOR for Chromebooks. Schools, do you have Chromebooks? Introducing VIZOR for Chromebooks, a Chromebook management solution that goes beyond your Google Admin functionality. It integrates with G Suite and with your Student Information System. Track who has what, track check-out programs, and manage repairs. Schedule a product demo to see if VIZOR for Chromebooks can help your school.
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