Chromebook Prices May Jump Faster Than You Can Say “What?”

Chromebooks prices may soon have a higher price tag than you expect.

What? Really? Y’all crazy.

Well, crazy? Yes. But are we kidding? Probably not.

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As you may know, Chromebooks are mainly being used by schoolchildren, specifically in the K-12 grades in the United States. That’s actually the biggest consumer market for Chromebooks, more so than consumers like you and I (or us). Chromebooks are taking over the educational system by storm due to their low cost and simple functionality.

Chromebook prices are what draws market attention

For the typical laptop consumers like us, the main selling point for a Chromebook is the price. Chromebooks are a fast and efficient machine that sells for a low, low price. Windows could never really offer this due to their licensing with the Windows OS, however they changed this recently and a line of cheap Windows laptops were released- such as the HP Stream.

Chrome OS is open source and free to download, which eliminates the need for licensing and allows a lower base price for these speedy laptops.

Robert Enderle of Enderle Group states “the main selling point of Chromebooks so far is that they’re really, really cheap…”

Indeed they are, Robert. However, that may change with the way things are trending.

HP, Dell, and Lenovo to blame?

With the success of the budget-savvy manufacturers, such as ASUS, Acer, and Samsung releasing Chromebooks that sold like hotcakes, bigger players were attracted to the market. Who? Brands like Dell, Lenovo, and HP.

Now, we know that all these brands have cheap and premium laptops. But we’re talking about the Chromebook getting premium models now as well.

The Google Pixel has long been regarded as the “best Chromebook” you could get, but that’s about to change.

With the launch of the HP Chromebook 13, which sports a 16GB RAM capacity option as well as Intel’s 6th generation M processor, it beats out the Pixel.

The HP Chromebook 13 sports one hefty price tag.
The HP Chromebook 13 sports one hefty price tag.

Acer has also planned the Acer Chromebook 14 for Work, which is rumored to be the “fastest” Chromebook in existence.

The Acer 14 Chromebook for Work is the fastest Chromebook out there.
The Acer 14 Chromebook for Work is the fastest Chromebook out there.

 

The cons of these new machines? The price.

If you want the best of the HP Chromebook 13, it’ll run you just over $1,000.

The Acer Chromebook 14 for Work is also nearly 50% (double the price) more expensive than the best-selling and most popular Acer Chromebook 11.

More power means more money.

More Chromebook for your money

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These brands will probably still offer a low-end budget option, but now the market for power-users in Chromebooks is expanding. Chromebooks with high specs that nip at Apple’s heels are coming, and they have a price tag just as big as Apple’s as well.

Now, saying that Chromebooks are useless for gaming and CPU-intensive apps is futile. With all this power, Chromebooks will be able to run higher quality and more graphically demanding software and apps, such as games, video editing software, Adobe Photoshop (yes, it’s Chromeworthy), and whatever else you need that requires more juice.

With the launch of the Google Play store coming to Chromebooks, we’re turning chrome with excitement. Of course, with the advent of the prices of Chromebooks going up, this may have others turning red instead. If things go as how HP plays it, there will be models for every price tier. We think this is a decent approach since it appeals to both powerusers and casual users. In this case, you really do get what you pay for. However, the question is if consumers are willing to spend 1k for a Chromebook. Although the performance will be high, the platform will be the same. Do Chromebooks need this much power?

About Andy Z.

Andy is a casual-hardcore Chrome OS fan and contributes to the site regularly. He likes computers, tech, sports cars, videogames, and of course, Chromebooks. Thinker. Introvert. Geek. You can find him on Twitter (@platytech), or send him an email (check the "Contact Us" page).

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