Google Chromebooks to get Intel Core processor upgrade
The Samsung Series 5 Chromebook is many things. Its groundbreaking, as the first notebook to hit retail shelves sporting Google Chrome OS. Its slim, snazzy, and its even fairly easy to disassemble and gut. Acers AC700 is a fairly nice unit too, though it lacks the Series 5s sex appeal.
But the initial wave of Chromebooks do have some shortcomings. Tops on the list just might be their Atom N570 processor, which falls near the bottom end of Passmarks top 800 CPUs with an average CPU Mark score of 644. While its capable of handling most non-intensive tasks, its just not that great for more stressful activities like playing intense web-based games or watching high-def video.
No, Chromebooks arent necessarily intended as entertainment machines but if you can do it on the Web, people will want to do it on a Chromebook, and that will certainly include gaming and video. And web apps arent going to get any less complex in the coming years as they become more like our desktop apps. Their more complex code will require hardware thats at least slightly more muscular than the Atom.
Google seems to agree, and has worked with Intel to provide Chromebook manufacturers with an upgrade option. According to a report on DigiTimes, OEMs that wish to bump their Chromebooks to an Intel Core series processor will score a 10 to 20% discount on their order. The same report indicates that the swap could push Chromebook pricing above $500, and it would be interesting to see if consumers are ready to pay that premium for an all-cloud laptop.
Chromebooks are already more expensive than similarly-equipped Windows 7 netbooks and laptops. Can a $500 Chromebook work? Eventually, sure anything is possible. Right now, however, that seems like a stiff premium for a system that still wont be able to run any standard apps.
Similar Posts:
- Intel’s Q2 Revenue “Record Breaking”, Atom Sales Sagging
- Intel Sandy Bridge-E Socket LGA2011 Model Numbers, Clock Speeds Surface
- Google Labs Closure Won’t Affect Google 20% Time
- Google blocks kid’s 2-year-old account for signing up to Google+
- Droid Bionic Vs Motorola Dinara: Summer release excitement in vain
