Intel and Google working on pushing Chromebooks forward

Google and Intel have partnered together to help Chromebooks take the next step with over 20 models slated for launch this year.

Ronald Tiefenthäler/Omar Al-Qudsi, Published 05/07/2014

Laptop Chromebook

Intel has had high hopes for their Ultrabook program, truly believing that it would revive the PC industry ever since the initiative was launched in 2012. That same line of thought also applied to Google and their Chromebook laptops, and the two companies are collaborating in an attempt to increase their fortunes.

The duo hosted an event in San Francisco yesterday, and a multitude of new Chromebooks were introduced. Many of the new devices utilize Intel's energy-efficient Haswell Core i3 CPUs as well as Bay-Trail SoCs, and the hope is that the increased power will vault Chrome OS into the spotlight.

We already saw Lenovo's Celeron-powered N20 and N20P Chromebooks yesterday, and other manufacturers such as Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, LG and Toshiba are set to follow. Of note, Acer has a Bay-Trail M powered Chromebook set to launch later this year, while ASUS's 11.6" C200 and 13.3" C300 are set to hit the market this summer.

In addition, both Dell and Acer have Intel Core i3-ULV Chromebooks planned starting at just $350 and HP has a Chromebox in store. LG is also planning on releasing a Chromebase, the first all-in-one Chrome OS desktop, and the next months should be quite eventful.