Cloudbook

This article is about the class of laptop. For the laptop manufactured by Everex, see CloudBook.

A cloudbook is a class of laptop computer, originally defined as any lightweight laptop with a small solid-state drive (SSD), built-in Wi-Fi, and a minimal operating system configured to prioritize web browsing, web applications, and cloud storage. The concept emerged in 2007 with the cancelled Palm Foleo.[1] In 2010, Google announced a reference design for a cloudbook running the company's ChromeOS; called Chromebook, the first models were released in 2011.[2] Chromebook was a massive success for Google and found widespread adoption, especially in educational markets.[3]

In the mid-2010s, the term cloudbook came to define a competing platform to Chromebook (a so-called "Chromebook killer"):[4] inexpensive, lightweight laptops, with 32- or 64-GB eMMCs, running a pared-down installation of Microsoft's Windows, prioritizing web apps while being able to run lightweight local apps.[5] This initiative for a new type of cloudbook was pushed by Microsoft starting in 2015;[6] the first such cloudbook released was Acer's Aspire One Cloudbook in 2015.[7][8] Later cloudbooks were released by Asus and HP (HP Stream).[5][9] Microsoft-partnered cloudbook manufacturers typically sold their machines with one-year free subscription offers for both Office 365 and OneDrive, cloud-based productivity software and file storage, respectively, from Microsoft.[10]

  1. ^ Markoff, John (September 4, 2007). "The Cloudbook Is Canceled". The New York Times: C5. Archived from the original on May 8, 2024.
  2. ^ Staff writer (December 10, 2010). "Move over Android: Chrome OS and MeeGo are here". The Online Reporter. Rider Research – via Gale. ... while Google held an event Tuesday where the first 'Chromebook' or 'cloudbook' debuted.
  3. ^ Staff writer (February 18, 2021). "Chromebooks overtake Macs in market share for first time". BBC News. Archived from the original on May 4, 2024.
  4. ^ Tofel, Kevin (August 5, 2015). "No, a Windows 10 Cloudbook isn't a Chromebook killer". ZDNET. Ziff-Davis. Archived from the original on August 8, 2015.
  5. ^ a b Behrens, David (January 4, 2020). "Chromebooks and Cloudbooks – what's the difference?". The Yorkshire Post. Archived from the original on May 8, 2024.
  6. ^ Lynch, Jim (July 30, 2015). "Chromebooks versus Cloudbooks: Will Microsoft beat Google?". ITworld. IDG Publications. p. 1. Archived from the original on July 31, 2015.
  7. ^ Evangelho, Jason (July 16, 2015). "Microsoft Partners Prepare Low Cost Windows 10 'Cloudbook' Competitors to Chromebooks, Acer Leads Charge". Hot Hardware. Archived from the original on March 13, 2024.
  8. ^ Paul, Ian (August 4, 2015). "Acer's insanely cheap Windows 10 Cloudbooks take aim at Chromebooks". PC World. IDG Publications. Archived from the original on June 6, 2023.
  9. ^ Lu, Alan; Adam Shepherd (February 8, 2016). "HP Stream 11 review: A cheap and colourful 'cloudbook' laptop, but far from cheerful". ITPro. Future plc. Archived from the original on August 3, 2021.
  10. ^ Wong, Steven (November 23, 2017). "Acer Aspire One Cloudbook 11 review". TechRadar. Future plc. p. 1.