The laptop world is about to get even more competitive after Google finally listened to its customers and is making some big changes to its Chromebooks in an effort to readily compete against PCs. The company announced that it is to address the issue of applications not being able to function unless connected to the Internet.
This means Chromebook users will soon be able to have almost all the functionality of their computer, but without being forced to go online to do work, a feature common in most PCs.
Connectivity, however, will remain a central feature for Chromebooks, with Google having added video editing and the ability to watch full films offline. As the company looks to streamline the process, it also said it would be increasing the updating cycle in order to better address concerns and issues with the product.
"The platform has evolved and keeps improving," said Caesar Sengupta, vice president of product management for Chromebooks at Google. "It is an OS that updates every six weeks. It keeps getting better."
When the computers first launched, they were nearly 100 percent tied to being online, but as the company listened to its users, it began to move the laptops into more traditional PC arenas.
"As the ecosystems evolve, more and more developers are writing apps using Chrome APIs so they work offline," he said.
Dell has also announced it would be offering even faster Chromebooks.
Google has long been believed to be readying itself for a full blown battle with PCs for laptop supremacy, and this should be a signal that it is going full throttle. For users currently working on traditional PCs, Google and its partners are currently offering massive deals and discounts to those who switch, with the aim of giving consumers more options for their computing needs.
"The world has changed, you're looking at different kind of [computing] needs than XP," Sengupta said.
Although Google currently makes no profit on the Chromebooks - a result of offering the operating system free of charge - the move into more traditional laptop uses could help the company begin to see ways of turning a profit on the new devices and updates, Sengupta said in San Francisco at a press conference announcing the new options.
For users, the low-cost nature of the computers has been a huge boost for those not willing to spend hundreds upon hundreds of dollars on a laptop. This has resulted in more and more users being able to get online, where Google makes the majority of its profits in online advertising.
