Chrome OS Notebooks Have Subscription Fees?
Google may offer Chrome OS notebooks at a subsidized price with an additional monthly charge.
Will Google be charging a monthly fee for using Chrome OS notebooks? That's the latest rumor based on unnamed sources close to the project. The news follows reports that the release of Chrome OS-based notebooks was pushed back to Summer 2011 due to last-minute bug squashing and to improve "compatibility with devices such as digital cameras on Chrome OS."
According to sources, the Summer 2011 window has now been narrowed down to "June/July 2011." Google will reportedly sell these notebooks at a possible subsidized price, requiring consumers to front a large chunk of money, create a Gmail account, and then pay a monthly "subscription fee" for an undetermined length of time. It's not clear if this subscription model applies to mainstream Gmail.com users, or to Google Apps premier customers. There's also no indication that 3G connectivity will be part of the subscription package.
Chrome OS subscribers will reportedly shell out between $10 and $20 per month. As part of the deal, Google will be responsible for hardware refreshes as they're released-- an automatic hardware upgrade if you will. Faulty hardware will also be replaced for free as part of the subscription package. Additionally, consumers wishing to bypass the subscription fees can actually purchase the laptop outright for the full cost through OEMs.
Google is expected to distribute the Chrome OS laptops much like it does with Android-based devices-- they won't be sold directly from Google itself. For now, the search engine giant is remaining tight-lipped about a definitive release date. But if the subscription model is indeed valid, this will be an excellent way for consumers to get a laptop without having to shell out loads of cash at the register. The hardware insurance and upgrades alone may be worth the monthly $20 fee.
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I'm not even trying this nonsense... what's the point? XP SP 2 on netbooks FTW! =)
hahahaha... I prefer my ubuntu its awesome.
Thats actually incredibly attractive to your average person. I mean, pay the lower upfront cost, do the monthly fee, and not have to worry about upgrades. No problems or worries. Id be outraged if it was mandatory, but since it isnt, I actually dont mind the idea...
That, too, but 10.10 overheats my Eee PC 900 like mad. I only use it for programming.
There has to be more to this story.
Like Google rolling out some premium services that run on the Chrome netbooks and tablets?
Otherwise isn't this buying hardware on an installment plan? At least that is what it sounds like to me. After all if you purchase the hardware outright there are no subscription fees.
Depends on the price... if the monthly charge over time is less than what you typically pay to refresh your system every couple of years then it's a good deal - but somehow I doubt that'll be the case for most people.
I'll never understand those that will take a permanent subscription fee over a one time cost. It just doesn't make sense, as in most cases you'll be paying a minimum of twice as much if you go the subscription route. If you can't afford the one-time cost, you definitely can't afford an unending subscription fee. Good for google, I suppose. Just means more profit for them.
Automatic hardware upgrades would be nice, but it really is just a matter of what the cost difference is. If it's cheaper to stay on subscription than replace the hardware yourself, then google won't price it that low as it does them no good.
What's the point of hardware upgrades? I thought it was pretty much cloud computing, meaning the computer itself does very little.
I'll never understand those that will take a permanent subscription fee over a one time cost. It just doesn't make sense, as in most cases you'll be paying a minimum of twice as much if you go the subscription route. If you can't afford the one-time cost, you definitely can't afford an unending subscription fee. Good for google, I suppose. Just means more profit for them.Automatic hardware upgrades would be nice, but it really is just a matter of what the cost difference is. If it's cheaper to stay on subscription than replace the hardware yourself, then google won't price it that low as it does them no good.
lets say a net book cost 300$
getting it for free with a 2 year 20$ a month fee would cost 180 more in the long run, but you don't have to save up for months to get it. if i didn't have enough to buy it out right and needed it, i would defiantly consider it a viable option.
10-20 a month. WOW. Really, first they want you to save all your stuff online and want you to use only a web browser, now they want subscriptions. No way, no matter how cheap it is, I consider a windows laptop and backup to be cheaper in the long term.
You'd think the ad revenues from stealing information would be enough payback for Google, but no, they want you to pay $10~$20 a month. Ridiculous.
That, too, but 10.10 overheats my Eee PC 900 like mad. I only use it for programming.
I How does that happen o.O
hahahaha... I prefer my ubuntu its awesome.
I prefer my Windows 7 since it runs everything...lol
i knew compatibility with Digital Cameras is very important for this OS.
Google...just stick to phones, please! ...and tablets. Ty.
... first they want you to save all your stuff online and want you to use only a web browser, now they want subscriptions.
Err, you didn't realise that this was Google's plan all along? It's Google's wish that everything you do on a computer (or even off computer, somehow) goes through Google.
I would have preferred a one-time charge. But, since this is a fundamentally new product, I expect at least one or two new machines to come out fairly soon (at least one year apart) so paying $240 per year would be OK with me. In addition, getting hardware insurance (need to the see the details) makes it more attractive. I'm not a technology freak, so I'll be more insistent on buying outright the third or so generation of this device.
Just to throw in my two cents, I know Chrome is supposed to be entirely cloud based and I get the idea it's also pretty much unlimited or at least extensive storage. While lots of places offer a few gigs of free storage they all let you pay monthly for more space. If the idea is that you get to have everything you do and media you buy backed up in a top of the line fully redundant data center and never have to worry about losing anything ever, that's not that bad of a idea, especially for those that don't otherwise backup important stuff.
lol....i guess all that could data is not free after all
with all the unstoppable flow of tons of smartphones and netbooks and tablets and what not, will it not affect the already fragile environment with more waste?
Hope manufacturers have good recycling plans..
I think it is china that will mostly be affected by all the manufacturing activities, since all of it happen in china!
Think about your parent's and grandparent's. I will gladly migrate my parent's over to this type of setup.
Thank you Google!
I am not a fan of the monthly subscription charge, but this article is very speculative so we will see what their offer really is.
I have to admit that this would be a very tempting offer if u get extra storage + premium apps access through your gmail account. Use this thing as a laptop backup everything in the cloud plus use it as a storage device to backup and access important stuff from the desktop. I would probably boycott it but I admit it would be tempting, plus real insurance, not the 1 year plans that exist in my country
Thats actually incredibly attractive to your average person. I mean, pay the lower upfront cost, do the monthly fee, and not have to worry about upgrades. No problems or worries. Id be outraged if it was mandatory, but since it isnt, I actually dont mind the idea...
thats an f***ing joke. may aswell just rent a laptop and update when its obsolete.
Google: we are different, so we are making a laptop OS.
I just don't see any reason to purchase this. I mean, Android is awesome, but this chrome os looks pretty stupid.
may aswell just rent a laptop and update when its obsolete.
Lots of businesses lease their hardware.
The people who are going to be using a Chrome OS do not need hardware insurance and updates made for them. They're going to be knowledgable computer users, not people who need things done for them. Let's be honest, those people have already probably gotten a Mac anyway.
"Knowledgable" computer users don't get Macs because their knowledge tells them Mac hardware sucks =)
I don't like the idea of all of this cloud based stuff - so if I get one, and I'm out of 3g signal... then what? o.O
There has to be more to this story.Like Google rolling out some premium services that run on the Chrome netbooks and tablets?Otherwise isn't this buying hardware on an installment plan? At least that is what it sounds like to me. After all if you purchase the hardware outright there are no subscription fees.
Really, I have the same thing and have no problems, about the same as XP on it, dual booted.
XP SP 2 on netbooks FTW! =)
Unless you really meant SP 3 I bet every hacker around agrees with you