[notacoward]

They just don't Get It. I'm typing this on a Chromebook right now - the 14" HP one. It's cheap, it's light, it's pleasant to use. That's the value prop. Microsoft claims you can get the same with Windows, so the very first thing I did was check the specs and reviews for the models they tout. Are they really that comparable?

* Approximately same price, same screen size and resolution, same processor and memory.

* Four pounds vs. three. Oops, not so light any more.

* Battery life (according to reviews) is around three hours, vs. this Chromebook going all day.

* Typical Windows suspend/resume times, vs. true instant-on for the Chromebook. It's actually disconcerting to have everything right there before I've even sat back on the sofa.

* Typical Windows upgrade/maintenance cycle (and malware), vs. no worries on the Chromebook.

I have other laptops that I use when I need to do more serious work. One of them even runs Windows, though mostly as a host for a Linux VM. But at this price point there's nothing running Windows that can match the overall Chromebook experience. Until there is, sleazy marketing stunts like this only make it obvious that they're desperate.

[praxulus]

> (and malware)

Has this really been a problem since XP SP2? Maybe I haven't been using my windows machine enough, but I honestly can't remember having any malware issues in quite a few years.

[krisdol]

That really depends on what version of windows was out when you grew out of your early teens. It is still around, absolutely, but I feel like the typical hn reader browses wisely enough to never encounter it.

[eitland]

Neither have I. But just the other night I visited my friends house and had a look at his kids pc.

(And some windows pcs even come preloaded with mcafee scareware that will be showing pop ups and eventually block your Internet access.)

[notacoward]

I haven't seen any either, in my own light/infrequent usage. OTOH, my mother gets this crap all the time.