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Google To Sell Chrome OS on a Subscription-Based Model?
- gobongo 16y agoApple to release all iOS libraries under LGPL? ... Rumors are circulating!
- Flow 16y agoOr Ubuntu to adopt GnuStep or even Cappuccino(and make the desktop run in V8-sandboxes or even over the net).
- ceejayoz 16y agoCan a question mark make an unsubstantiated rumour into journalism?
- tlrobinson 16y agoTechCrunch thinks so. http://www.google.com/search?q=inurl%3Adid+inurl%3Ajust+site%3Atechcrunch.com http://www.google.com/search?q=inurl%3Adid+inurl%3Ajust+site...
- Splines 16y agoSomeone needs to do a Geico parody with this line. Host: Could switching to Geico save you 15% or more on car insurance? Host: Can a question mark make an unsubstantiated rumour into journalism? Scene showing boy on the street hawking newspapers with the headline "President is an alien?" Cut to oval office, president drinking coffee. He reads the newspaper, spits coffee out Cut to host Host: Hm.. That wasn't a good example, was it.
- Timothee 16y agoThis is getting very off-topic, but see this bit from the Daily Show that illustrates this exact point: http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-september-13-2006/the-question-mark http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-september-13-2006/the-...
- mooftard 16y agoI will really enjoy running Ubuntu or Mac OS on my subsidized Chrome hardware. This is great news.
- grigy 16y agoInteresting approach, may have potential.
- wmf 16y agoThis headline is a bit confusing: Chrome OS is probably "less than free"; the rumor is that the devices will be subscription-based (aka rent-to-own). Next up: customers complaining about ETFs on their "free" netbooks.
- splarchive 16y agoThis is about selling computers like phones. Little to nothing upfront and monthly payments for amortization and service. Having a Chrome netbook/tablet delivered to you for monthly payments of $10/mo. to $20/mo. for a couple years is a game-changer. I wonder if they're Google branded?
- orangecat 16y agoExactly, which is why I hope it doesn't take off. The subsidy model has been lousy for mobile phone buyers; manufacturers have greatly reduced incentives to provide support after the initial sale because you're locked in for the contract. If you want a computer on an installment plan, use a credit card.
- MrFoof 16y agoPeoplePC did this about a decade ago, as well as one other service provider I think. Subsidizing inexpensive commodity commuters as part of an internet service package. It'll be interesting to see what success Google has with their attempt, and what they do differently.
- erikpukinskis 16y agoIt's not much money. $10/mo is $360 per machine if they replace the machines every three years. Plus $75 in search revenue ($25/yr) is $435. For $20/mo that total goes up to $795. That gets them up above the typical cost for a netbook, so they could start making money. But factor in maintenance costs, server overhead, etc... seems like pretty slim margins. That said, if they can get large swaths of people using Google who previously couldn't afford a computer, they could be expanding their reach massively. So maybe it's worth it in that sense. To acquire virgin lifetime Google users. Edit: I guess they're selling them with an upfront cost, I missed that. But it's an interesting calculation nonetheless.
- bane 16y agoSounds great, I'd still like a "buy" option.