The Samsung Series 5 Chromebook doesn’t officially go on sale until June 15th, but Google is apparently sending out emails to some of the people who signed up for the Cr-48 Chrome OS laptop pilot program letting them know they can purchase a Series 5 today.
Google’s partnered with Gilt, an invite-only luxury shopping site, so you’ll need one of those emails if you want to get your hands on one of the first Chromebooks. The laptop will also come with a limited edition custom-fit laptop sleeve.
Everyone else will be able to buy the Chromebook when it goes on sale next week for $429 and up.
I was kind of hoping for a discounted price as a reward for being a Cr-48 pilot, but a custom case doesn’t qualify in my book.
I agree that the price point for these Chromebooks is too high for what you are getting. Â You can find a decent netbook or even up to, say, a 13″ notebook for that price or less, run your favorite flavor of Windows or Linux, use the Chrome Browser and be able to do everything you can do with a Chromebook and much more, even completely living in the cloud if you feel the need to.
The Cr-48 unit I have is a fine machine, and I have enjoyed using it daily, but I find it too limiting for everything that I want or need to do. Â Aside from surfing the web, e-mail, and light word processor and spreadsheet use, it just doesn’t cut it.
For $350 to $500 I can get a lot more machine that will serve me in a lot more ways.
The price point is higher than expected. Â I could get a decent Asus that has hard drive space as well as internet connectivity for the same price. Â Not sure the value at if it is over $200. Â No clue what the service plan is like. Â 100MB of Mobile Broadband isn’t much if you are connected all the time.
You get it early, but not at a reduced price. Â It’s a special sale, but not “on sale.”
On Sale can mean two things. It can mean an item is being sold for a discounted price, or it can simply mean that it’s being sold. In this case it’s the latter.