Acer has unveiled the biggest ever Chromebook, combining size and power in a 15.6-inch Chrome OS laptop.
The device, which is the first of its kind because of its size, is also the first Chromebook to offer Intel's latest processor design, dubbed Broadwell.
"The Acer Chromebook 15 is a true powerhouse -- it provides fast mobile performance and a large display to help customers accomplish more every day," said Jerry Kao, president of Acer's Notebook Business Group. "Acer has been a leader in the Chromebook market, from providing the latest in technology and trailblazing battery life to designing new form factors. We're driving the category forward again with the world's first 15.6-inch display Chromebook, the Acer Chromebook 15."
The news comes after a successful year for Acer in the Chromebook market. The company now owns a market share of around 40 percent, with this number not likely to fall in 2015.
Most of today's Chromebooks run on either ARM or Intel processors that are based on the older Haswell architecture. Intel's Broadwell processors are the next-generation of computer processors. They will be officially launched at CES 2015 in Las Vegas, which starts on Jan. 6.
Users can also choose to buy the device with an Intel Celeron processor, cutting costs on the laptop, which will start at a very affordable $250.
The Chromebook 15 will be ideal for schools and other institutions, and is perhaps not targeted at those who will be on the go with the device a lot, especially considering the rather hefty 4.85 pounds that the computer weighs.
As far as design goes, it's safe to say that the Chromebook 15 looks a little like an oversized Chromebook 13 from last year. It is likely, however, that given the larger screen size the computer will not boast the same 13 hours of battery life. Users will be able to choose between a 1920 x 1080p and a 1366 x 768 display resolution, with the latter cutting down on battery usage.
Pricing of the computer is expected to start at $249.99 in the U.S. and exact specifications, prices and availability will vary by region, although Acer has said that it will be available with a choice of either a 16 GB or a 32 GB solid state hard drive, and either 2 GB or 4 GB of RAM.
Chromebooks are great for those who are connected to Google's ecosystem and those who are usually connected to the Internet. The lack of hard drive storage is great for cutting costs, but means that most documents and files are stored online.
The new Acer Chromebooks will be on display at CES 2015 from Jan. 6-9.
