No, Google has still not given up on the Chromebook concept-- not when it reveals the "new Samsung Chromebook," a slim-and-light number aiming to attract customers not with power but with a low price.
The cloud-powered laptop costs $250.
However the New Samsung Chromebook is a downgrade from the Series 5 550 launched back in June 2012-- it carries a Samsung Exynox dual-core ARM processor (essentially a smartphone processor), 2GB RAM and 16GB of storage (together with 100GB of online storage). On the other hand the 550 has an Intel Core processor and 4GB of RAM.
Further changes include a thinner and lighter (2cm, 1.1kg) design, an 11.6-inch 1366 x 768 display, x2 USB ports and an HDMI port (instead of DisplayPort++).
What remains is Chrome OS, the cloud-based take on PC operating systems. Thanks to various updates, the OS now has improved offline capabilities and "seamless" integration with Android devices.
Will customers go for cheaper Chromebooks? Google will sell the laptop on the online Google Play store, as well as select retailers in Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the UK.