Lenovo May Leap into Low-Cost Chromebook Market Next Year

[[Coi] Mr.CLuBBeR]

Low cost laptop wars are brewing

It was easier to make an argument in favor of Chromebooks as early as a month ago. There's plenty they can't do, but they're cheap and sufficient for basic computing tasks, like surfing the web. They're also nice tools if you're heavily tied into Google's ecosystem. Several vendors have jumped on board the Chromebook bandwagon, and rumor has it Lenovo will offer an ultra-affordable Chromebook model of its own next year, but has their time in the spotlight come and gone?
First things first -- according to Digitimes and the sources it spoke to within Taiwan's supply chain, Lenovo is looking at launching a Chromebook in the sub-$170 range in early 2015. These will be powered by CPUs from China's Rockship Electronics.
By lowering the price, Lenovo reportedly expects to ship 1.5 million Chromebooks next year, up 212 percent compared to 2014. However, there's a concerted effort by Intel and Microsoft to push Chromeooks out of the market place with low-cost Windows alternatives.
One of the first models out of the gate is the HP Stream. It's a Windows 8.1 laptop that starts at $200 for the 11-inch version and $230 for the 13-inch model. And as time goes on, there will be other competitors in the $200 Windows laptop space. Should Chromebooks dip down to $170, we imagine Windows models will follow suit, though it will be interesting to see where vendors cut costs since the OS is already being provided for free from Microsoft.
What do you think -- are Chromebooks long for this world, or will these low-cost Windows laptops drive them out of the market as intended?
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