Google releases OTA update for Chrome OS, Cr-48 owners can upgrade now

Google recently rolled out the beta release of Chrome 12, and now Cr-48 owners are getting a matching version of Chrome OS. This latest version, 0.12.433.48, brings bug fixes, Flash 10.2.158.22, a file manager context menu, and some spiffy new icons and avatars to its browser-based UI. We grabbed the update on our own Google-fied laptops and got some pics of the beta's new bits for your viewing pleasure. We're still getting acquainted with all of the changes, so if you've also copped the new Chrome OS let us know how it's treating you in the comments.

Chrome OS 12 update

Google

Google's CR-48 apparently shipping again, doing the prototype death rattle

Reports are trickling in that Google has begun shipping the CR-48 to eager testers who've thus far been empty-handed after signing up for the units back in December. Could it be? Is the plucky prototype Chrome OS laptop getting a stay of execution after being declared all dried up back in March? That's pretty unlikely, given the impending release of the Samsung and Acer netbooks that we saw announced during Google I/O. It seems a lot more plausible that the company is just exhausting the supply, so if you signed up late last year and haven't received one yet, we wouldn't recommend holding your breath.

Chrome OS Site

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Editorial: Google clarifies Chromebook subscriptions, might have just changed the industry

Following Google's second I/O keynote, we were ushered into a room where a number of the company's executives were on hand to field questions from the press. Or in other terms, dodge bullets and tell us what we're probably not looking to hear. All jesting aside, the Chrome team was rather forthright during the session, and a number of details surrounding the outfit's (potentially game changing) subscription model were unearthed. Details on contract terms, what's included / not included and where the line is drawn between enterprise and consumer lie just after the break, along with our take on how this monumental announcement may or may not change the way we buy computers.

The subscription details

When we initially heard that enterprise users (read: companies) would be able to purchase Chromebooks for $28 per user as part of a monthly subscription scheme, we simultaneously heard the walls shake over at IBM and other solutions providers that charge two arms and part of a leg to provide provisioned machines to employees. Granted, a Chromebook isn't a full-scale Windows or OS X-based machine -- far from it -- but given just how often our work is shifting to the web, Chrome OS is becoming dangerously close to "good enough" for most. Chalk it up to serendipity if you must, but Chrome OS is becoming more and more relevant with each passing day, as we're dealt far fewer offline-only apps and far more cloud-reliant ones. But here's a vital detail that Google glossed over during the frenzy of the keynote: there's a contract attached.



This definitely shouldn't strike anyone as a surprise. There's no way Google's shooting out ~$400 machines for $28 per user without a guarantee that end users will be paying the bill for some time to come, and company execs clarified that both enterprise ($28 / user) and education ($20 / user) customers will be faced with a three-year contract should they choose to take advantage of the new pricing model. Three years is an awfully long time, particularly when you're dealing with a comparatively low-spec machine such as the ones announced from Acer and Samsung today (both of which will ship June 15th). But for businesses and educational institutions, is it good enough? Probably.

It's also worth noting that Google considered shorter contracts (with higher monthly fees), but it found during market research that most institutions never upgraded their machines before three years, anyway. Given that data, it just made sense to offer lower monthly rates and on a refresh cycle that fit well with what they found.



Let's take a look at the math before diving any deeper. An enterprise user will pay $28 for 36 months, but that includes full warranty and replacement provisions, technical support and all of the updates that Google will provide along the way. Notably, this doesn't include Google Apps -- you'll need to pony up the standard rate for that as an add-on. At a glance, this "bargain" seems like an absurd one, much like subsidized 3G netbooks that faltered quickly after hitting the mainstream just over a year ago. But here's the difference: enterprise and education customers can count on a dramatic decrease in costs from a maintenance standpoint.

The value proposition

It's difficult to place a proper value on those aspects, but there's no question that entities will spend less time -- and in turn, less money -- applying patches, installing updates, cleaning out old files, and managing a daunting fleet of machines that are used abused day in and day out. With Chrome OS, a user would simply login at the start of one class, and log out at the end. Clean, simple, hassle-free. But that's just the start.



Enterprise and education users will receive access to a management console (to administrate their machines), a direct tech support line to folks at Google and a Google-backed warranty. In contrast, a consumer user will have to phone up the laptop manufacturer and rely on its warranty. It may be difficult for the average consumer to wrap their noodle around that proposition, but trust us -- that in and of itself will likely be worth the long-term price increase to institutions. Additionally, there is no need to purchase licenses for anti-virus, data encryption or data back-up software, all of which are huge thorns in the side of businesses.



Let's look at it another way: if you ran a school with thousands of students, would you rather pay $400 up-front per student for a machine that you'd need to continually maintain and troubleshoot, or pay around 2.5x as much over the course of three years for one that includes a direct help line? Amortizing costs goes a long way in a place where budgets matter.

Pricing details

Machine:	Samsung Series 5 (WiFi)	Samsung Series 5 (3G)	Acer Chromebook (WiFi)	Acer Chromebook (3G)
Consumer Price:	$429	$499	$349	$TBD
Enterprise Price:	$28 per user, per month	~$31 per user, per month	$28 per user, per month	~$31 per user, per month
Education Price:	$20 per user, per month	~$23 per user, per month	$20 per user, per month	~$23 per user, per month
Minimum Quantity:	10 for Biz / Edu; no limits on consumer	10 for Biz / Edu; no limits on consumer	10 for Biz / Edu; no limits on consumer	10 for Biz / Edu; no limits on consumer
Contract:	3-year for Biz / Edu; none for consumer	3-year for Biz / Edu; none for consumer	3-year for Biz / Edu; none for consumer	3-year for Biz / Edu; none for consumer
Included Data:	None	100MB monthly	None	100MB monthly

Thanks to an Enterprise session here at I/O, we were able to learn quite a few details surrounding the dollars and cents of it all. For starters, enterprise and education users will need to purchase a minimum of ten Chromebooks to take advantage of the subscription rates. That should cover the vast majority of those interested in such a thing -- if you and your brother need two for your small business, you're currently out of luck. But we're guessing those fringe cases will be just that -- fringe.



Education customers will get $20 per user pricing with a three-year contract, while enterprise and business customers will pay $28 per user for the same period. We're told that purchasers can select the WiFi version of the Samsung Series 5 or the Acer Chromebook at that rate -- if you need 3G-enabled models with 100MB of gratis Verizon Wireless data throw in, that'll run you an extra $3 or so (an estimate provided to us here at I/O). As for overseas buyers? European carriers will hash out details in Spain, France, UK, Netherlands, Germany and Italy, but nothing's being revealed today. We're told that Google's still evaluating what makes the most sense in those nations.

Consumers, of course, will pay a flat rate, and will be looking to Acer or Samsung for warranty work and technical support. The Series 5 gets going at $429 for the WiFi model, while the 3G edition (which does indeed include 100MB of data from Verizon each month for the life of the product) will go for $499. Acer's Chromebook will cost $349 for the WiFi model, while the 3G variant will demand an undisclosed amount more.



If you're curious about any early termination fees, kudos for thinking proactively. Unfortunately, the news isn't good. In effect, there is no way to sneak out of your Chromebook contract early. According to Google, users who wish to terminate must "pay out the rest of their contract." In other words, you're paying for a 36 month lease -- the only question is whether or not you want Google's support or not along the way. Granted, we can't say we expected the company to be lenient in this area with so much on the line, but we'd probably recommend a solo Chromebook buy first to make absolutely sure this new OS suits your business needs.

Does Chrome OS have the chops?

You've heard it before, and you'll hear it again: Chrome OS isn't "a real operating system." There's no question that it's different; it's the first major OS to launch without the ability to install local, desktop-based applications. Particularly for businesses, this could be a major deal-breaker. To solve that issue, Google has partnered with Citrix to create a new build of Citrix Receiver, a piece of software that should leave its existing beta trials and hit the public universe this summer.



We saw a brief demo of the software used on a CR-48, and while the setup was obviously optimized, it worked shockingly well. A backend Windows server had a copy of Photoshop CS5 onboard, and the CR-48 was able to load it within a matter of seconds through Receiver. Not a light model -- we're talking about the full, bona fide version of Photoshop. Of course, you'll still need to manage a backend server in a scenario like this, but given that most businesses and schools already have something similar in place, it shouldn't be asking too much to pipe things in via Receiver. Unfortunately, mum's the word on price, and heaven only knows what kind of lag you'd see when applying filters to a 5MB image over 3G, but at least the possibilities are there.

Even Google confessed that Chromebooks won't work for everyone, and definitely not for every business. But the dead-simple management aspect should have a lot of CIOs turning their heads, particularly with this new wave of hardware. The CR-48 was never a speed demon, but Samsung and Acer's new offerings should be more than capable of handling Google Spreadsheets and the occasional slide deck. Our take? This new wave of hardware -- particularly when you consider the faraway Chromebox -- finally puts Chrome OS in a position to thrive, and the new pricing model finally makes it accessible to scaling businesses.



As Google rightly pointed out, you can lease computers now from pretty much any OEM in the industry, but you're on your own when it comes to software management. Or, of course, you can pony up well over $30 per user to hand that off, too.

Are subscriptions the future for Chrome OS?

I'll close with this. I had my doubts about Chrome OS' ability to truly grab hold in a market that isn't exactly prepared to rely solely on the cloud, but with Google's new efforts to enable offline support for vital applications -- as well as Citrix Receiver for times when desktop apps are needed -- my view is changing. It's sort of funny to think that Chrome OS may gain its traction within the enterprise first, but for companies desperate for simplicity in the IT room, today's pricing model instantly makes a ton of sense.

Beyond that, $349 for Acer's highly portable 11.6-inch Chromebook creates a tantalizing offer for everyday consumers -- folks like you and I. Netbook-level hardware has never handled Windows 7 with grace, and Google's gone out of its way to break Chrome OS down to a point where it runs swimmingly on low-cost hardware. The company's selling Chrome OS as a software + hardware combo; OEMs who are interested in shipping Chrome OS machines will have to abide by Google's stipulations, but it creates a better overall user experience, I can't find a good reason to kvetch.



I'm pretty well sold on the software aspect, but it's up to hardware manufacturers to really polish things off. Something tells me I'll learn a lot more on that end when Samsung's own event kicks off here in just a few hours.

Chrome alone

About a year after the debut of the first Android handset, Switched On discussed the threat that Chrome OS posed to Android. We'll briefly reprise it here: Like chief rivals Apple and Microsoft, Google has two operating systems trying to bridge the rift between consumer electronics and traditional computing, but Chrome is different than Mac OS and Windows in an exceptionally important way.

Rather than trying to refine the traditional software experience (as Apple has done with the Mac App Store and other iOS-inspired developments in the queue) or move that experience forward to tablets (as Microsoft is doing with Windows), Chrome OS is not looking to carry forward any legacy beyond the browser.

Unlike with Mac OS vs. iOS or Windows vs. Windows Phone, the battle isn't over which apps make sense, but rather the irreconcilable difference around whether apps to begin with. This makes Google's suggestion that the two operating systems might merge at some point less credible, and sent a mixed message to developers about whether to focus their efforts on apps or the web. At Google I/O 2011, however, the company clarified its position.

At Moscone Center in San Francisco, Google celebrated the duality of its operating systems, but further explained that each targeted particular devices. Whereas it was once said that Chrome might be an option for tablets and Google TV, Android has fully claimed that slot with Honeycomb, whose apps will appear on televisions. Furthermore, Android will venture forth into categories that Google hasn't tackled before, such as Project Tungsten, its media streaming/home automation platform.

Meanwhile, nearly everything beyond Android's direct grasp will be have the option of communicating with it directly via the Android Open Accessory Platform and indirectly via Android @ Home. Where does that leave Google's second OS? Chrome has been relegated to notebooks -- Chromebooks, specifically -- with the team offering up the silver lining that the laptop is still where most people do most of their Web browsing.

Chrome will play defense and try to carve out a niche, by reminding us of the liabilities of the app environments on Mac and PC.

Many have suggested that Chrome is primarily of interest to managed, security-minded corporate or educational environments, but Chrome's refocus has other implications. The app paradigm will carry forward into the next generation of nimble devices where Android has big numbers (although has room to improve) and expansion to new platforms entirely. Chrome, on the other hand, will play defense, trying to carve out a niche against one Goliath (Mac OS) and that Goliath's even bigger rival (Windows) by reminding us of the liabilities of the PC app environment. The Chromebook emerges as less of a platform warrior, and more of a complement device. To borrow Steve Jobs' characterization of Apple TV, here the Chromebook becomes a "hobby."

However, while Chrome OS has now been set aside for notebooks (and a nettop), there doesn't seem to be anything keeping Android at bay in the very same space -- devices such as the Eee Pad Slider and USB host support demonstrate that Android itself could function in a similar role to Chrome OS. If Android can make significant headway – or at least significantly more headway than Chrome – on the classic clamshell, then this may indeed bring about the ultimate merging of the two operating systems. The result would probably look a lot more like Android, with its flourishing app library, than the sparse Chrome OS, but an Android with an even faster and more powerful desktop-class browser

Chromebooks get 3G connectivity via Three UK (update)

Long before Google outed Samsung's Series 5 and Acer's Chromebook, we'd already heard that Verizon would provide unlimited 3G coverage to the Internet giant's netbooks, but our friends across the Atlantic still didn't have a data carrier until yesterday. We don't have a lot in the way of details for now, but Three UK has stepped forward as the Chromebooks' carrier of choice for 3G data in the United Kingdom. The company is decidedly tight-lipped otherwise, but says they'll have more details in the "next few weeks."

Update: Well, it looks like Three has already let the cat out of the bag on this one. According to the UK's Chrome OS site, British Chromebook users will receive a free SIM card, offering 3GB of 3G coverage for three months -- see what they did there? After that, users can choose to go contract-free with a number of different pay-as-you-go plans that range from a 500MB day pass for £3 to a 7GB one-month pass for £25. More details can be found at the Chrome link below.

[Thanks, Ross & Jamie W]