Great X-pollination by #Google on the Chromebook release to boost Productivity and lower $.

In case this news went under the radar for most of us, well we won't miss it as one opens a new tab in Google Chrome and get greeted by the "Get a Chromebook for the Holidays" advertising message.  People kept saying how Google doesn't get anything right beyond Ad-based search, but here's a new attempt to monetize on a gap in the PC/laptop market full of bloatware devices built on the 90's assumptions regarding user productivity and IT management.  Probably the biggest competitor to the Chromebook will not be in the PC / Laptop category, rather the Tablets (read: iPad onslaught in the consumer and business markets).

Here comes the elevator pitch for the businesses why to use Chromebook:

Price tag for the consumption of Chromebook is set around 28-30$ / month for 3 year contract, after which they let you keep the device.  That summs up to 1100$ over the full life, where as I wonder how much % the HW vendors get out of and what remains for Google.  Certainly sounds like a very good margin goes to googleplex.  And that's probably refreshingly new to see from the previous GTM approaches to flood the market with FREE apps, tools, mobile OS to as many users as possible, but rather take a page from Apple's market success with iPhone / iPad.  Even the outer shell design of the Samsung Chromebook looks inspired a bit by the Macbook.

Regardless of how IT giants recycle and borrow ideas, what I find fascinating with this Chromebook release is the cross-pollination of lot of good, individual products and services into a new end-to-end experience for users and IT in all stages - from finding about Chromebook to starting to use and to continue to love it.  It's just great to see a product that cuts across organizational silos, simplifies the architecture and layers inbetween, and applies design thinking principles across all phases while challenging assumptions of the past.

P.S.  Oh, if you need that mission critical desktop app like SAPGUI 7.20 in your enterprise to run, HTML5 Citrix^®Receiver is also available from the Chrome Web Store.