June 15, 2011
Chromebooks go on sale
Samsung and Acer put the first retail Chromebooks on sale on June 15, 2011 — consumer laptops running ChromeGoogle's web browser — built on Chromium and the most widely used browser worldwide. OSOperating system — software that manages hardware and provides services to applications. after Google announced them at I/O on May 11.
What it was for
After the CR-48 pilot, retail Chromebooks brought Google's browser-centric OSOperating system — software that manages hardware and provides services to applications. to schools and budget buyers — automatic updates, Google account sign-in, and web apps only. ITInformation technology — the use of computers, networks, and software in organizations. departments adopted them for managed classrooms; developers tested PWAs and ChromeGoogle's web browser — built on Chromium and the most widely used browser worldwide. extensions on locked-down hardware. The category grew into a major segment beside Windows and Mac laptops.
Companies
Why it's here
Retail Chromebooks turned Google's pilot into a shipping product category.
Why it mattered
They proved cloud-first laptops could sell beyond beta testers and education pilots.
What it solved
Consumers and schools needed affordable laptops with zero-maintenance software updates.
Media
ImageChromebookPmsyyz, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Related
- Chromebook CR-48 pilot beginsDecember 2010
- Google Chrome beta releasedSeptember 2, 2008
- Intel Atom announcedApril 2008