Google Chromebook available in six new countries

PanARMENIAN.Net - Google may have released the high-end Chromebook Pixel touch laptop last month, but it’s getting back to business with its more affordable Chromebook range which has gone on sale in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands, The Next Web reports.

An announcement from the company says that Chromebooks from Acer, HP and Samsung will roll out in the six new markets from Tuesday, March 19. Google has also extended its business and schools program to those countries.

Google is beefing up its seller network in the U.S. — where Chromebooks are already available — and the laptops will be sold in an additional 1,000 Best Buy stores “over the next couple of weeks”.

Google Chromebook for school initiative has been particularly successful. More than 2,000 schools in the U.S. were said to be using the device, just three months into the program.

The education segment aside, Chrome OS is gaining attention from more and more manufacturers. In 2012, only Samsung and Acer were on board. This year it looks like we’ll see that list rapidly expanding, with two new entrants revealed just last month.

First, Lenovo joined the fray with its education-focused ThinkPad Chromebook, available to schools from February 26. The 11.6-inch device will be powered by an Intel processor, feature an anti-glare display with a 1366 x 768 resolution, offer three USB ports, a webcam, and a 6-cell battery. At the same time, details of an HP Chromebook also leaked out in January.

The reason that Chromebooks are gaining attention is really quite simple. While Google likes to tout its browser-as-an-OS strategy, the reality is that the price is the real selling point.