The recent HP Chromebook has a new rival, the improved Acer Chromebook C720 i3. Chromebook was first introduced by Google in 2012. The Linux-based laptop came to complement Google’s idea about how data will be stored and managed in the future. The difference between assembling your own hardware and managing your private data versus using Google’s approach to data usage is like the difference between cooking in your own kitchen and going to a restaurant. Google plans to offer full-option data management services. It might mean that once we have non-stop access to an internet connection, Google might do the data computation for us. The mobile device will become a mere display with not too many extra characteristics.

Acer Chromebook C720 i3 upgraded

That day has not arrived yet. Acer, one of Google’s Chromebook partners, introduced its first Chromebook device with an Ivy Bridge processor. Intel Core i3-4005U will clearly deliver a better performance than the predecessors in both graphic execution and general multitasking. Acer C720 Chromebook i3 is a light device with an 11.6 inches display and a classical 1366X768 resolution. To be fair, the design reminds me of Acer Aspire ONE 751, a few years old netbook. Incredibly light for 2010, with a long lasting battery, the netbook was frustratingly slow and Atom did not manage to deliver a real fluid internet experience. This is why a powerful processor is still highly relevant even for Internet focused users.

Acer Chromebook C720 i3 comes with two RAM options, one with 2 Gb and the other with 4 Gb Ivy Bridge processor. The 2Gb RAM model will sell for $349.99 and the one with 4Gb for $379.99. A main advantage of the new device is the 8.5 hours lasting battery. Wireless features as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are a part of the package. Besides the upgraded processor, Acer Chromebook C720 i3 looks the same as it was half a year earlier. Nootbookreview.com praised the Chromebook for its long battery life, portability and excellent price, while not being fully content with the display quality and luminosity and speaker quality.

Now Acer has a 46 percent Chromebook market share and the new Acer Chromebook C720 i3 will definitively boost the sales. Chromebook felt initially like a Google maneuver to capture the low-end laptop market share. But Chrome Pixel, a premium laptop introduced last year, says otherwise. Acer Chromebook C720 i3 seems to be getting closer to a lower middle market, a compromise between the previous gadgets. It is primarily a device targeting students and families, emphasizing mobility and accessibility rather than performance.