Here’s why schools, at least, should consider ordering a few shipments of them

Mar 16, 2014 17:07 GMT  ·  By

So far, laptops and small mini PCs and/or nettops have been the only computers released with Google’s Chrome OS, but now that HP and Samsung have both revealed intentions to launch all-in-one Chrome OS computers, the question can finally be asked: is it a good idea to buy one?

All-in-one systems are have all the necessary hardware in a single compact package, like laptops, but they aren’t meant to move around, hence why they are called desktops, like normal PCs.

So, in a way they combine the best of both worlds, minus the mobility of mobile personal computers. Thus, Chrome OS all-in-ones do the same for Chrome OS systems.

I’d be tempted to think that the big question now is whether or not people should order one of those things, whenever they actually come out.

I’m not in the habit of indulging too much in make-believe though. There is no chance that Windows PCs will be pushed aside by Chrome OS, even though the all-in-one form factor is close to being represented at last.

Still, there are some fields where Chrome OS-based AiOs could do a lot of good, like education, so we have to ask: would you like to see Chrome AiOs in your school computer lab?

The good

Chrome AiOs (not sure what they’ll be called, with laptops being known as Chromebooks and nettops as Chromeboxes) will be cheap. Primarily because they have very little on-board storage, with an SSD of around 16 GB (or less) and nothing else.

Also, the hardware only needs to be strong enough to run the OS itself, nothing more, so it can make do with low resources, thus saving energy.

As such, Chrome AiO will be a pretty good deal for schools that want to outfit their Internet labs. And since prices are always lower when things are bought in bulk, the deals will be sweetened even more than for low-end Windows computers.

Another asset is the fully cloud-based approach. You don’t actually do much on the Chromebook itself. Only access cloud-based applications.

The software, or part of it, runs in the cloud, on a server. You just access it over the Internet. Why is this good? Because you can always access your work (documents, photos, videos, projects, etc.) from any Chrome system in the PC lab, or from your Chromebook at home (if you own one). Same goes for Chromeboxes. And the work is always saved in real time.

As for on-board tasks and the utilization of add-in media (like USB flash drives), the Chrome OS AiO will still have an integrated media player, and, of course, a file manager, so entertainment is covered too.

The Bad

Even if Chrome OS wasn’t a Linux-based system, you wouldn’t be able to install much of anything in terms of Windows-based applications because the storage space would be too limited for that.

Also, due to the same reason as above (Linux kernel), you won’t be able to use the Chrome OS AiOs for software tests, or in computer science class if, say, the students have to experiment with programming.

Furthermore, packaged apps that load locally (and, thus, do not depend on the network) do exist, but they are few. Google has been encouraging developers to make more, along with cloud-based ones, but it’s been slow up to now.

The conclusion

Those Chrome OS all-in-one computers promised by Samsung and HP should be able to score at least a few contracts in the education sector.

And while they won’t be threatening Windows-based PCs any time soon, they could find customers among people who want a secondary PC they can quickly boot up and use to browse online websites and the like.