The announcement of Google Chromebook marks the end of the desktop refresh programme. Several industry trends – cloud computing, the need for mobility and the consumerisation of IT – have all created the need for a new operating system such as Chrome OS.

According to Gartner Research, the total cost for a desktop computer is between £2,000 and £3,500 per year, and laptops can cost even more. An organisation with 100 employees could spend between £200,000 and £350,000 per year on desktop PCs, whereas the Chromebook, at a cost of £17 per user per month (£210 per year), requires no capital expenditure on technical issues such as software upgrades, updates or patching. Hardware issues and upfront capital costs will also be a thing of the past due to mobile phone-like contracts, which include maintenance and hardware upgrades.

computing.co.uk article