Education is already a pretty heated space when it comes to hardware, the battleground where Google is putting up a real fight against Microsoft. Chrome OS vs Windows is a thing, folks.
And it just got flamed by Lenovo, who announced a bunch of new laptops for education.
Both platforms.
It is this side of the market that Microsoft wants to focus on with the upcoming Windows 10X, though Redmond clearly needs more time to perfect its new operating system. Chrome OS devices, or Chromebooks as they are called, have slowly been eating at its market share in this segment.
Jerry Paradise, vice president of Global Commercial Portfolio and Product Management in Intelligent Devices Group, Lenovo:
“We applaud educators, students and institutions for their energy and dedication in the face of unprecedented challenges. As a leader in the global education market, we remain laser-focused in our pursuit to support all involved in education. Our ongoing commitment and expertise in tailored solutions will help drive innovative educational technology as we reimagine and reinvent teaching and learning.”
We have the 14e Gen 2, 100e, 300e, and 500e in the Chrome OS corner, and the 14w Gen 2, 100w, 300w, and 500w on the Windows 10 side. Crazy naming scheme, but the devices are made for students and teachers, meaning they can handle most manners of drops and spills.
They also meet the MIL-STD-810H standard.
With the exception of the 500e and 500w that use the Intel Celeron N5100 and Pentium N6000 processors respectively, all these new machines are powered by AMD chips. The Chromebooks have specially designed CPUs, while the Windows 10 laptops get the AMD 3015e, a dual-core 6W chip.
As for pricing, these are highly affordable models, as you would expect.
The 14w and 14e start at $334, the 100e and 100w start at $299, the 300e and 300w start at $359, and the 500e and 500w start at $429.
They all hit store shelves in May, with the exception of the 100w and 500w that arrives in June.
