Google Chrome OS Netbooks to be $300 to $400

Google, with Chrome OS, plans to move into the operating system in a bigger way that its Android software is taking over smartphones not called the iPhone. Speaking at the Atmosphere Cloud Computing forum, company CEO Eric Schmidt admitted that Google is rewriting some of its software so that it'll work with Chrome OS – so that Google can sooner start using its own software and not rely on tools from Microsoft or Apple.

Google figures that any challenges the company must go through to switch software will be experienced by other businesses planning on doing the same. In short, Google is using itself as a test case.

"At Google we're getting ready to deploy these essentially Android and Chrome-based devices that are in development, so we want, of course, to eat our own dogfood which is how we sit here and build things. … We found applications that were part of our business; operations, sales, accounting so forth… even at Google we have this problem. I expect everyone faces this problem."

Schmidt also answered questions relating to how much a Chrome OS-packing netbook will cost.

"It will be up to the manufacturers who do it, but the price points you should think about are the current netbook pricings which are 300 dollar, 400 dollar price points. … Those prices are completely determined, by the way, by the costs of the glass, the costs of the processor and things like that, but in our case Chrome OS and Android are free so there is no software tax associated with all of this."

Read more from TechRadar.

Marcus Yam
Marcus Yam served as Tom's Hardware News Director during 2008-2014. He entered tech media in the late 90s and fondly remembers the days when an overclocked Celeron 300A and Voodoo2 SLI comprised a gaming rig with the ultimate street cred.
  • zoemayne
    So is the OS free!?
    Reply
  • lashabane
    so we want, of course, to eat our own dogfood which is how we sit here and build things. …

    Schmidt, you're hilarious. Why can't there be more CEO's with a sense of humor like this?
    Reply
  • duckmanx88
    zoemayneSo is the OS free!?
    "but in our case Chrome OS and Android are free so there is no software tax associated with all of this."

    FFS read the entire article.
    Reply
  • Ubuntu is still king for netbooks... Or any computer TBH...
    Reply
  • soundefx
    I can't wait to see how these things perform.
    Reply
  • cryogenic
    I like the idea of Chrome OS, but my biggest fear is that overtime it will turn in a advertisement supported OS, even if this will not be the case at first. Google will want to eventually make money from Chrome and they are in the advertisement business, so 2 + 2 ...
    Reply
  • christopherknapp
    I am really looking forward to this promising alternative. I currently use a Mac with OSX and Windows 7, a PC with Windows 7 and Ubuntu, and am looking to purchase a netbook in the next 6 months. This could possibly it.

    Provided the development stages of both in-house and third parties is up to par, I will not hesitate to pick one up. I could stand to lose my Macbook Pro.
    Reply
  • ta152h
    "Google, with Chrome OS, plans to move into the operating system in a bigger way that its Android software is taking over smartphones not called the iPhone. "

    This is a terrible use of the English language. I'm still not sure what it means, but in any case, it's very awkward, if it's even grammatically correct. I can't tell, I get dizzy every time I read it.
    Reply
  • nekoangel
    still waiting for Crome OS beta, the limited access alpha was a bore
    Reply
  • dotaloc
    CryogenicI like the idea of Chrome OS, but my biggest fear is that overtime it will turn in a advertisement supported OS...I don't think it will have to. Mainly, because the internet as it stands already is. Chrome OS will just advocate Google's existing and future products. Unless I'm wrong, the OS will mostly be like tabbed browsing, encouraging the use of web-based apps...directly or indirectly facilitating more internet traffic and more google ad impressions/clicks/etc. *shrugs*
    Reply