Chromebook: Is the cloud the future of personal computing?

On June 16, Samsung launched its Chromebook Series 5, a Google laptop that functions entirely on the cloud, which is remote storage accessed online. This cloud-based format means no operations system beyond the browser window (so no Windows) and very little hard drive space. Those lead to some great selling points for the machine: boot up time is under ten seconds and battery life is over eight hours. The computer is light and good-looking. Files and documents stay safe in the cloud if the machine is lost, stolen or broken.

The pluses pretty much stop there. Without Internet access, the computer is useless. It’s extremely expensive – at $430 to $500, many reviewers think the price point will keep people who would have otherwise bought it from ordering one. The only software available for the Chromebook comes from Google’s free online options: Gmail, Google Docs, Google Talk, and Picasa. The New York Times, in its balanced but ultimately negative review, points out that programs like Photoshop, Skype, and  iTunes won’t work on a Chromebook. This article takes a look at how Google is trying to compete with Microsoft and how each company is using the cloud.

Chromebook may be ahead of its time. With increasing reliance on Internet for work and the great collaborative options the cloud creates (“multiple people can simultaneously work in the same document without saving it on a hard drive and sending it around as an attachment”), we may see more computers like this in the next few years. However, the cloud may always be limited by the lack of software and storage options. Do you think the future of laptops lies in cloud computing?