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.
An announcement from the company says that Chromebooks from Acer, HP and Samsung will roll out in the six new markets from Tuesday (which is already today in those countries). Google has also extended its business and schools program to those countries.
Thus far available in the US and UK, this is a big move for Google. It will be interesting to see how the devices — which are priced upwards of $249 in the US — are received in the first global rollout.
That isn’t quite all though. Google is beefing up its seller network in the US — 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”.
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Google Chromebook for school initiative has been particularly successful. More than 2,000 schools in the US 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 recently revealed.
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. HP also introduced a Google-powered laptop.
Related: First impressions: Samsung’s $249 Chromebook channels Apple while chasing viability
Headline image via kjarrett / Flickr
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