14 DAY TRIAL // Google finally revealed the first Chrome OS devices consumers can actually buy, during the day two keynote at the Google I/O developer conference. This wasn't much of a surprise and Google had said that it planned to have devices available by this summer. Google I/O would be the perfect place to launch them.
But Google did have a major announcement to make, Chromebooks, as the devices are called, will be available to businesses and schools for a flat rate monthly subscription for which they'll get the devices as well as enterprise support, warranty, software and hardware upgrades.
"Chromebooks are made for people seeking uncompromising speed, simplicity and security, while providing features that will delight the IT department, too," Rajen Sheth, Group Product Manager, Chrome for Business, wrote in a blog post detailing the move.
"For businesses and schools, we’re offering a subscription that includes the Chromebook, a web-based management console and 24/7 support from Google starting at $28 per month for businesses and $20 per month for schools," he announced.
For businesses and schools, the proposition of having significantly smaller IT maintenance bills is a hard to ignore one. While hardware is cheap, keeping computers updated, clean and working properly, when you have thousands or even just tens of machines, is a complex and expensive task.
With Chromebooks, there is no need to worry about software updates, patches and so on. The operating system updates automatically and there are no applications to speak of.
Everything is the cloud meaning that everything can be remotely managed. Google is also including a central web console for businesses and schools interested in the program which enable administrators to keep track of all devices as well as make any changes to Chrome OS, web apps installed and everything else, remotely.
And, since everything is in the cloud, nothing is lost if the devices are damaged, lost or stolen. Users can log into their accounts from any device and feel at home. Local storage is encrypted and is only used as a cache anyway, so no data is going to leak out.
What's more, Google is also promising "regular" hardware updates, so if the machines become outdated, they get replaced for no additional fees. Of course, Google is also offering full enterprise support for those interested in the deal.
Companies and schools have to commit to a minimum of 10 devices if they want to subscribe and also to a three year contract. Those interested in Chromebook subscriptions can contact Google sales in the countries where the devices will be available first, the US, the UK, France, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands and Italy.