Late in 2012, Acer put the C7 Chromebook out on the market for $199. Now, Slashgear reports that the company is also working on a Chromebox under the code name Kiev. Acer apparently worked with Google’s Chrome team to create a compact desktop with an Intel 2.7GHz Pentium G630 processor, 2GB of memory, and a 500GB hard drive. No other specs or images of the Chromebox have been released yet, but it will probably be comparable to the C7.
Acer’s laptop has VGA, HDMI, and USB ports, as well as integrated Wi-Fi, which are standard features for the computer style. Price point is a subject of speculation for the new desktop, and the competitive pricing of the C7 has led to rumors that the Kiev Chromebox may be priced below $100.
Google-based computers, both in laptop and compact desktop forms, have been a source of strong interest for many companies lately. Samsung recently announced upgrades to its Chromebox’s processing power, and Google made a push into the educational sphere with its $99 Samsung Chromebook. Earlier this week, Lenovo was also rumored to be working on its first Chromebook model specifically for businesses. The rumors were partly true. A day later, the company announced its Chromebook, although Lenovo is gearing its first model towards grade schools and educators.
While Chromebooks made their name on mobility and low cost, there were some initial concerns among industry leaders about how willing customers would be to buy a laptop that was so dependent on the cloud and constant Internet access. Chromeboxes, which are a clearly meant for a stationary home or work environment, remove that worry about getting Internet on the go while keeping the attractive price point.
(Image via Slashgear)
