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A Chromebook is a laptop running Chrome OS as its operating system. The devices are designed to be used primarily while connected to the Internet, with most applications and data residing in "the cloud". A Chromebook is an example of a thin client. The first Chromebooks for sale, by Acer Inc. and Samsung, were announced at the Google I/O conference in May 2011, and began shipping on June 15, 2011. Lenovo, Hewlett Packard and Google itself entered the market in early 2013. In December 2013, Samsung launched a Samsung Chromebook specifically for the Indian market that employed the company's Exynos 5 Dual core processor. In addition to laptop models, a desktop version, called a Chromebox, was introduced in May 2012, and an "all-in-one" device was introduced in January 2014, by LG Electronics. Chromebooks are primarily sold both directly from Google and from the company's retail partners. By 2012, schools had become the largest category of customer. That October, Google broadened its marketing strategy to include first-time computer users and households seeking an additional computer. Critical reaction to the device was initially skeptical, with some reviewers, such as then New York Times technology columnist David Pogue,〔 unfavorably comparing the value proposition of Chromebooks with that of more fully featured laptops running the Microsoft Windows operating system. That complaint dissipated later in reviews of machines from Acer and Samsung that were priced lower.〔 In February 2013, Google announced and began shipping the Chromebook Pixel, a higher-spec machine with a high-end price tag (an upcoming Pixel C will be based on Android). In October 2012, Simon Phipps, writing in ''InfoWorld'', said, "The Chromebook line is probably the most successful Linux desktop/laptop computer we've seen to date". From January to November 2013, 1.76 million Chromebooks were sold in U.S. business-to-business channels.〔 == Design == Initial hardware partners for Chromebook development included Acer, Adobe, Asus, Freescale, Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo, Qualcomm, Texas Instruments, Toshiba, Intel, Samsung, and Dell. Chromebooks ship with Google Chrome OS, an operating system that uses the Linux kernel and the Google Chrome web-browser with an integrated media-player. Enabling developer mode allows the installation of Linux distributions on Chromebooks. Crouton is a script that allows the installation of Linux distributions from Chrome OS, and running both operating systems simultaneously. Some Chromebooks include SeaBIOS, which can be turned on to install and boot Linux distributions directly.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Acer C720 Chromebook Delivers Fast Ubuntu Performance )〕 With limited offline capability and a fast boot-time, Chromebooks are primarily designed for use while connected to the Internet. Instead of installing traditional applications such as word processing and instant messaging, users add web apps from the Chrome Web Store.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=What is the Chrome Web Store? )〕 Google claims that a multi-layer security architecture eliminates the need for anti-virus software.〔 Support for many USB devices such as cameras, mice, external keyboards and flash drives is included, utilizing a feature similar to plug-and-play on other operating systems. Like the prototype Cr-48, Chromebooks have a specialized keyboard complete with buttons for opening and controlling multiple browser-windows, as well as a Web search button which replaces the caps lock key (caps lock being activated by pressing both alt+search). An analysis of the Samsung Series 5 components by iFixit in June 2011, estimated a total cost of $334.32, representing US$322.12 in materials and US$12.20 in labor. With an initial retail price of US$499.99 that also pays for retail margins, shipping, marketing, and research and development, the profit margins on the Chromebooks are quite thin, requiring a large production run to make a profit. While Chromebooks are designed to be used when connected to the Internet, users are able to access Google applications such as Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Keep, and Google Drive in offline mode. Chromebooks also come with a built-in local music-player, a photo editor, and a PDF- and Microsoft Office document-viewer that are functional without Internet access. Other apps with offline support include Amazon's Cloud Reader, the New York Times App, and Angry Birds.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Use your Chromebook offline )〕〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Yes you can use the new Chromebook offline )〕 Google Play video content is available offline using an extension to the Chrome browser. All Chromebooks, except the first three, boot with the help of Coreboot, a fast-booting BIOS. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Chromebook」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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