Google launches 'Chromebook' laptops as it takes on Windows

The Chromebooks - the first of which are made by Samsung and Acer - run an operating system that gets rid of nearly all the standard features you'd expect in an OS like Windows or Apple's Mac OS X, and instead focuses in every way on accessing the web through Google's Chrome browser.

Samsung's Chromebook will come in two versions, one WiFi-only and one with an integrated 3G data connection, much like Apple's iPad does. It will cost £349 for the WiFi version, and £399 for the 3G - quite a steep transatlantic price rise, as in the US it's priced at $429 and $499. Acer have but to announce their UK prices, nevertheless they're expected to be slightly cheaper.

Acer's Chromebook will have an 11.6-inch screen and up to six hours of battery life, during Samsung's version has a 12.1-inch screen and up to 8.5 hours of battery. Both models lack hard drives, instead offering 16 gigabytes of flash memory, similar to tablets and smartphones - even though you can plug in external storage devices if you need more space.

Innovative move to encourage uptake

In an innovative move to encourage uptake, Google is offering three-year subscription plans to businesses and schools that replicate the mobile phone industry's approach of subsidising handsets when bought on contract. For a monthly cost of $28 per user for businesses, and $20 per user for schools, Google will give you the laptop, tech support and a warranty for the duration - and will replace the Chromebooks at the end of the three years.

Google has been working on the Chrome operating system for two years, announcing it at a time when it was widely believed that lightweight 'netbooks' like this were the future of personal computing. Clearly, in the intervening years, Apple's iPad and other tablets have made a huge dent in the netbook market - so it remains to be seen whether Google can convince large numbers of people to return to the netbook fold.