I'm a huge fan of Google products. I love Google Docs, Gmail, Google Earth (naturally!), Google Maps (of course), and I use no other search engine but the Google. So I suppose I should be fanatically happy about the coming Google Chromebook which operates solely in the cloud. I'm there already, right?! Maybe not.
I use software that does not run well (if at all) in the cloud...ESRI's ArcGIS. I also use drawing programs and photo editing software but Google Draw and Picasa do not do nearly what I need them to do. They are merely okay. For a long time I have had a not-so-silent dream...Google buys ESRI and turns GIS software into something that 1) is easy to use, 2) has an intuitive interface, 3) is robust, and 4) can truly operate in the cloud. Google already makes geospatial visualization a breeze with their mapping products, why wouldn't they want to go the next step and allow folks to do some real geospatial analyses within Google Earth and Google Maps?
Alas, a Chromebook does not solve my need for having all my "apps" on one device. Will it be a gamer-changer in higher education that so many seem to think the iPad is? Can we remove the Windows or Apple computer labs and replace those stations with Chromebooks? No. We cannot. Sergey Brin says "And I think Chromebooks are a new model that doesn't put the burden of managing your computer on yourself." Hallelujah! I've argued that academic technologists should not be managing computer labs (though I don't think Mr Brin was thinking of me and my compadres when he made that statement), we all want life to be easier. But the Chrome OS or the iPad, for that matter, do not yet replace the tried and true Apple or Windows high-end desktop machines. Those are the computers where our students learn how to edit video, or make it look as thought O.J. was wearing Bruno Maglis shoes, or create architectural drawings, or, yes, geo-process digital orthophotos and analyze for percent tree coverage.
The Chromebook will be great for those on the go who want to write and check email and use a simple spreadsheet. It starts up in eight seconds, for crying out loud! I have an old clunker laptop that takes eight minutes to start up? But it has all my "apps," so I can't part with it!
