Google: Chromebooks are Cheaper, Faster and Stronger than YOU ( Aimed at Corporate IT Depts?)

Marketwatch ^ | May 12 2011 | Business Insider

[Still Thinking]

Good point.

[Cronos]

thin-desk clients make a lot of sense in the corporate world — most business users just need a few applications and most of these run on the servers in any case. Using a thin-desk can cut costs by 2/3rds in the best cases. 30 years ago network connectivity wasn’t as reliable and quick as today, nor were business users (0 tech knowledge people) using computers for their day-to-day jobs.

[Cronos]

While I dislike MS OSes, they do have a lot of advantages -- as you pointed out one -- that they are available on other machines. Hence the costs are lower.

At the server end of the market SUSE Linux and MS do rule.

I don't believe MS will die, but it will no longer be dominant -- neither will Apple or Google or IBM in their markets. Healthy competition is good.

[adorno]

thin-desk clients make a lot of sense in the corporate world

You are correct, for the most part.

However, Google Chromebook is not intended as a thing client for business users, and it's targeting the masses instead.

Microsoft has released to production, their ThinPC client, which will be more directed towards the business user. The ThinPC is not browser based like Chromebook.

However, your larger point, regarding what businesses need, is valid.

But, even on the Microsoft side, most of what Microsoft intends and prefers, is for businesses to give up running any applications on their end and move their every need, including applications and files, to the cloud. That's giving up control to an outsider, just like Chromebooks would do for the regular Joe out there.