Google Inc (GOOG) Unveils 3rd Generation Chromebook

Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) has been working on a notebook computer since it launched the initial Chromebook last year alongside the new Chrome operating system. Now, however, the company is announcing the third-generation Chromebook with hardware by Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., which is being sold as a laptop that is not really a laptop – but as a “different kind” of computer. However, it is expected to be in competition with the Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPad, the Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) Surface tablet and the Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN) Kindle Fire HD -an already highly competitive market, not to mention several lower-priced Android-run tablets.

While this new Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) computer is smaller and a little lighter than the second-generation Chromebook, Google has always been about speed, so it describes this new device as “fast meets faster.” Whatever that means, though it could be translated to mean “very fast.” The device also has Google apps  built-in and about 6.5 hours of battery life and several layers of security that are updated automatically so users do not have to get any manual updates or schedule scans of the system. The display has an HD-capable screen for streaming movies and shows, plus there is the ability to plug the device into a television through an HDMI hookup.

It is said that while similar computers can take as much as 30 seconds or more to boot up completely, the Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) Chromebook could boot up in as little as 10 seconds while containing 2 gigabytes of RAM, a VGA camera and two USB slots. There is also a feature called Gogo Inflight Internet, which allows for web browsing while on airplanes. This current model is expected to retail for $249 for the basic Wi-Fi model, or $329 for the model with 3G capability. With such an already competitive market in the tablet and notebook computer space, how will the new Chromebook fit into that market place? Will this be a successful device for Google Inc (GOOG) in terms of sales and establishing market share alongside the Android devices?