[nfais-l] NFAIS Enotes, 2013, No.7

[jilloneill at nfais.org]

NFAIS Enotes, 2013, No. 7, Written and compiled by Jill O’Neill
Starbucks and the Slow Build


Our local Starbucks is on the corner of 16th and Walnut in Philadelphia, PA, just a hop away from the NFAIS office. As you might expect, the constantly-shifting population inside that Starbucks has a fairly broad range of devices in hand as they sip their lattes. There are the business people with laptops and portable printers, settling in for several hours of off-site work. There are recent buyers from the Apple Store down the block, thrilled with newly-acquired iPad Minis. There are students, yoga moms, and corporate recruiters, each with their beverage and electronic device. What is a little bit surprising to me is that, amongst all the Apple, Samsung, and Dell devices in that Starbucks, I haven’t really seen that many Chromebooks. And yet, the Chromebook was devised for just such users -- a mobile, flexible, and ever-connected working population.
 
 
Chromebooks were met at their initial launch in 2011 with significant skepticism. Why on earth would anyone want this device? Chromebooks seemed to look and function just like the pragmatic netbook (and very unlike the beautifully-designed iPad). Their functionality was tied to constant Web connectivity and constrained by the limits of a relatively-unknown web browser that had only been launched three years before.
 
 
The Google marketing video used to introduce the Chromebook concept focused on the improvements this device represented over the standard desktop/laptop experience ([http://youtu.be/TVqe8ieqz10] http://youtu.be/TVqe8ieqz10). There were no operating system updates to be downloaded, installed, or patched. There were no viruses that could disrupt the workflow. It was running in the Cloud with seemingly unlimited storage; everything was synced across devices and backed-up in that Cloud. It was a highly-simplified computing experience. Google was saving the user both time and money by avoiding the common barriers to getting things done. Google was pretty sure it had hit all the magic buttons of better, faster, cheaper.
 
 
Others weren’t so sure. There were plenty of reasons that many rejected the device: loss of control, the need for connectivity, the insecurity of the cloud, etc. ([http://www.technologyreview.com/view/423992/six-reasons-why-chromebooks-are-a-bad-idea/] http://www.technologyreview.com/view/423992/six-reasons-why-chromebooks-are-a-bad-idea/). Even in July of 2013 - several iterations of the device in - there were complaints about what still needed to be fixed in the Chromebook environment ([http://www.techradar.com/us/news/mobile-computing/laptops/10-things-google-should-fix-on-the-chromebook-1165837] http://www.techradar.com/us/news/mobile-computing/laptops/10-things-google-should-fix-on-the-chromebook-1165837).  Yet as Bloomberg reported that same month, Chromebooks were the only device in the U.S. market for laptops that was showing any growth ([http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-10/google-chromebook-under-300-defies-pc-market-with-growth.html] http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-10/google-chromebook-under-300-defies-pc-market-with-growth.html).
 
 
Even more surprising, Forrester Research this year reversed itself from its initial 2011 assessment of the Chromebook as “corporate idiocy” ([http://www.javaworld.com/javaworld/jw-05-2011/110530-forrester-slams-chromebook.html] http://www.javaworld.com/javaworld/jw-05-2011/110530-forrester-slams-chromebook.html), and instead counseled the enterprise market to reconsider the Chromebook ([http://blogs.forrester.com/jp_gownder/13-07-29-its_time_for_enterprises_to_consider_chromebooks] http://blogs.forrester.com/jp_gownder/13-07-29-its_time_for_enterprises_to_consider_chromebooks). Forrester recognized that the Chromebook wouldn’t do for every enterprise; one sentence from their 2013 research report captures the issue: “There remain areas of the business - particularly finance - where Windows PCs remain important, particularly for Microsoft Excel use.” However, Forrester did see value in the use of Chromebooks in larger educational or public settings. Overhead costs of deploying and maintaining desktop computers (estimated in 2011 as ranging between $3,300 and $5,800 over the life of the PC) can make the Chromebook attractive to those responsible for internal infrastructure and operations. As the report notes, the value of the Chromebook for large enterprises is that it aids in lowering IT support costs, simplifies machine deployment, ensures uptime, and minimizes the disruption caused by constant upgrading of software for functional and security purposes.
 
 
Educators for the most part seem to be accepting the device ([http://jennyluca.com/2013/10/03/gearing-up-chromebook-classroom-gafe-summit-presentation/] http://jennyluca.com/2013/10/03/gearing-up-chromebook-classroom-gafe-summit-presentation/. And while this high-school student’s primary computer is a Macbook, he would really prefer that his school use Chromebooks for support of collaborative learning rather than Microsoft tools ([https://www.edsurge.com/n/2013-07-02-how-i-study-reflections-of-a-digital-native] https://www.edsurge.com/n/2013-07-02-how-i-study-reflections-of-a-digital-native).
 
 
A faculty member at Dartmouth saw the Chromebook as the answer to his need for a secondary device for travel, conferences, and emergency back-up ([http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/technology-and-learning/new-chromebook-ipad-or-air-travel] http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/technology-and-learning/new-chromebook-ipad-or-air-travel).  He notes “A Chromebook could never be my only machine, but a lightweight web-centric laptop with a decent keyboard and screen and the availability to get online by cellular broadband when out of Wi-Fi range is very appealing.”
 
 
Research firm IDC blessed the Chromebook in mid-2013 for use in K-12 classrooms, saying “The educational vision of one-to-one environments — all students, connected, with their own device — requires a low initial cost, low ongoing maintenance, and an easily-scalable and highly-manageable solution...The Chromebook, with its Web-centric operating system, secure computing capability, simple deployment and management, Chrome browser-based applications, and cloud data storage, is one device that meets those requirements.”
([http://static.googleusercontent.com/media/www.google.com/en/us/intl/en/chrome/assets/education/pdf/IDC-WP-Quantifying.the.Economic.Value.of.Chromebooks.for.K-12.Education-042013.pdf] http://static.googleusercontent.com/media/www.google.com/en/us/intl/en/chrome/assets/education/pdf/IDC-WP-Quantifying.the.Economic.Value.of.Chromebooks.for.K-12.Education-042013.pdf). Unlike Bloomberg however, IDC didn’t believe that Chromebook sales were sufficiently impressive. ([http://www.zdnet.com/latest-idc-figures-show-chromebooks-continue-to-struggle-7000023000/] http://www.zdnet.com/latest-idc-figures-show-chromebooks-continue-to-struggle-7000023000/).
 
 
Others immediately countered that position ([http://blogs.techworld.com/war-on-error/2013/11/chromebooks-is-googles-computer-a-sales-flop-or-misunderstoood-gem/index.htm] http://blogs.techworld.com/war-on-error/2013/11/chromebooks-is-googles-computer-a-sales-flop-or-misunderstoood-gem/index.htm), noting that the device wasn’t yet globally available and that IDC was not recognizing the differing use cases for touch-screen and keyboard input devices, an aspect that the previously-referenced Forrester Research report does address.
 
 
Let me note that the 2013 Chromebook models from Samsung, Acer, and HP do include a touchpad. That touchpad supports swiping to scroll vertically (paging up and down) as well as horizontally (between open tabs), but the manufacturers’ assumption is that users still require a keyboard for purposes of Gmail responses and status updates to Google+ or Facebook.  While there is excitement regarding gesture-based interfaces, current multi-touch systems still “overwhelmingly emphasize look over feel, sight over touch.” ([http://stet.editorially.com/articles/on-gestures/] http://stet.editorially.com/articles/on-gestures/).
 
 
Also on the topic of screens and interfaces, a hard-boiled Chromebook supporter wrote “… if the direction we are headed with technology is a true "multiscreen experience," then traditional computers and laptops are going to have to evolve to match the functionality of the smartphone and tablet. To do that, everything must be web-based. The Chromebook Pixel is a step in that direction.” ([http://allthingschromebook.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-real-motives-behind-googles.html] http://allthingschromebook.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-real-motives-behind-googles.html).
 
 
The Chromebook Pixel was launched in April of this year, a more powerful machine and one possessed of a touchscreen.  (For a review of its high-end specs, competitive with a MacBook Air, visit [http://thenextweb.com/google/2013/02/21/google-announces-its-chromebook-pixel/] http://thenextweb.com/google/2013/02/21/google-announces-its-chromebook-pixel/).  The Wall Street Journal had leaked news of the device back in February, but suggested that Google would need to do something to strengthen its offering of apps in order to create more value in the product and justify the $1,300 dollar price for the Pixel. The Pixel was given to registrants attending the Google I/O developers’ conference in the hope that this would create interest in doing just that. ([http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887324048904578318334083850180] http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887324048904578318334083850180).
 
 
Six months later, Google announced on its Chrome blog that they were celebrating Chrome’s fifth birthday with a new generation of apps that would work equally well in both Windows as well as Chrome environments.  ([http://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/webstore/apps-gtd.html] http://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/webstore/apps-gtd.html). That collection of apps included such well known entities as Wunderlist, Lucid Chart, Pocket, and more.  The Wall Street Journal lauded the launch: ([http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2013/09/05/chrome-apps-are-going-native/] http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2013/09/05/chrome-apps-are-going-native/). Users don’t really know the difference between web apps and native apps and now they didn’t really have to think about it at all. Ultimately, the promise is that any Chrome app created by a developer will work across all computing environments, even Mac and Linux.
 
 
Just as Amazon has developed a Kindle app for just about every platform available to mainstream users, so Google is rapidly creating a Chrome-branded environment that runs on every platform. There is tremendous eagerness in the tech community for Google’s two operating systems – Android and Chrome – to converge into a dramatically better computing experience. It’s not just about advertising revenue such as that generated via Gmail and Google Search. It’s about creating a new balance of revenue streams that leave the Internet Giant less vulnerable.
 
 
A negative analysis of Chromebooks from CNET did make what I thought was an excellent point about the strategy Google might have in mind: Google and its deep coffers can throw money at Chromebooks for a long time, and perhaps that's the strategy: to keep Chromebooks going until the Web catches up to native code. It's also possible that Google's ideal laptop and the world's ideal laptop just don't match. ([http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57606607-93/earth-to-google-chromebooks-still-arent-mainstream/] http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57606607-93/earth-to-google-chromebooks-still-arent-mainstream/)
Fast Company factored in another aspect of Google’s thinking as it pertained to the Nexus devices: “…It showcases a different philosophy toward Internet accessibility. Apple prefers a deeply-personalized paradigm, where you cherish your One Device--going so far as to pick its color, in the case of the iPod Touch--and it remains locked to you and your data. Android devices seem to be moving toward a user-agnostic, kiosk-like model where anyone can sign into an Android device and have it become theirs. (The Chromebook Pixel works this way as well.)”  ([http://www.fastcolabs.com/3014960/the-nexus-7-is-hiding-googles-stroke-of-genius] http://www.fastcolabs.com/3014960/the-nexus-7-is-hiding-googles-stroke-of-genius).
 
 
There is yet another facet to this. Currently, Google Apps for Business claims more than 5 million adopters of its office suite. ([http://www.google.com/intx/en/enterprise/apps/business/] http://www.google.com/intx/en/enterprise/apps/business/). This month, Google announced a second number – 120 million users of Google Drive. According to Liz Gannes, writing for AllThingsD, this particular figure is more reliable than other estimations of registered users of Google services because the system only counted those who were actively using the system. What Gannes points out is that Google Drive - a cloud storage service - and Gmail are now even more tightly- integrated. Users can preview attachments from emails and drag and drop to file those attachments away in Drive ([http://allthingsd.com/20131112/with-120m-users-google-drive-gets-tighter-integration-with-gmail/] http://allthingsd.com/20131112/with-120m-users-google-drive-gets-tighter-integration-with-gmail/).  It would seem that the idea is to make Google Apps for Business work more tightly and successfully in exactly the type of device (the Chromebook) that Google believes makes sense as they navigate a highly-competitive market of devices, operating systems, and platforms.
 
 
Google is offering an approach that can be useful to business in a variety of settings. Does a conference (such as those run by scholarly societies) want to offer attendees a relatively-inexpensive means for checking their email? Chromebooks could work in that setting. Does a library need to upgrade its computing options for patrons on a miniscule budget? Chromebooks could be an affordable option. What about the nomadic worker who is ever in danger of losing a laptop or having its contents examined by miscreants or foreign governments? Some reporter referred to Chromebooks as being priced to be disposable and consequently, a Samsung version might be that guy’s best option.
 
 
Chromebooks are not perfect by a long shot. They do appear to be slower than competitive phones and tablets. The potential buyer must properly grasp the system’s constraints and the unwary aren’t well- supported by Google. Just review the Google Group Forums that are supposed to act as help desks for Chromebooks and you’ll see.
 
 
So why would any of us give up our snazzy iPads or Kindle Fire HDX tablets in favor of using a Chromebook? A Chromebook doesn’t dazzle (which is why Apple fanboys and tech gurus mock it). A Chromebook is an ultimately utilitarian device and that’s as much its strength as its downfall.
This brings me back to why I’m not seeing this device very often in the local Starbucks. This is a machine designed by a team of down-to-earth engineers focused on simplifying processes in order to prepare for the next phase of technology. Their minds are set on the ordinary workflow and formats, but they are factoring in workflows and formats yet to come. They know that users are busy and that busy people get irritated by all the idiocies that get in the way. These aren’t the folks with time to dally in Starbucks. They’re working, they’re busy, and they don’t choose to be weighed down.
 
 
There are promises of great things coming. Wolfram Alpha is hinting at major and exciting breakthroughs to emerge from its laboratories ([http://blog.stephenwolfram.com/2013/11/something-very-big-is-coming-our-most-important-technology-project-yet/] http://blog.stephenwolfram.com/2013/11/something-very-big-is-coming-our-most-important-technology-project-yet/). Similarly, Google has a sense of how it believes the networked world can ultimately be made better – the Semantic Web, linked data, and the Internet of Things. It releases teasers that both serve as promotional events as well as technological demos. (See [http://chrome.blogspot.com/2013/11/bringing-hobbits-dwarves-and-dragons-to.html] http://chrome.blogspot.com/2013/11/bringing-hobbits-dwarves-and-dragons-to.html – an instance of a Chrome app leveraging 3D graphics, WebGL and a WebAudio API, sending the user on a Google Maps tour of Tolkien’s fantastical realms. This sophisticated experiment operates across any of a potential user’s preferred platforms. Even that low-end Chromebook!)  John Blossom, NFAIS’ favorite Google expert, tells me that we should expect “about three to five years before native apps begin to really fade in comparison to robust, cross-platform Web apps. Look for it to happen first in games, perhaps accelerated by Android TV settop boxes equipped with Chrome browsers and second-generation Chromecast sticks, as well as in high-end tablets and phones.”
 
 
Getting to the future is taking time. In the meantime, perhaps as a sign to competitors, perhaps as an appeal to the slowest of lagging adopters, Google offers an option for eliminating the little barriers and exasperating elements that make electronic devices obsolete. You win the loyalty of users by making their life just a bit simpler. Particularly if you’re in the middle of a slow build.
 
 
*********************************************
Want to learn more about how new forms of content and big data techniques are changing publishing, plan to attend the 2014 NFAIS Annual Conference, Giving Voice to Content:  Re-envisioning the Business of Information, scheduled for February 23-25, 2014 in Philadelphia, PA (see: [http://nfais.org/event?eventID=530] http://nfais.org/event?eventID=530).  Registration opens on November 18th.
********************************
2013 NFAIS Supporters
Access Innovations, Inc.
Accessible Archives, Inc.
American Psychological Association/PsycINFO
American Theological Library Association
Annual Reviews
CAS
CrossRef
Data Conversion Laboratory, Inc.
Defense Technical Information Center
EBSCO Publishing
Getty Research Institute
The H. W. Wilson Foundation
Information Today, Inc.
IFIS
Modern Language Association
OCLC
Philosopher’s Information Center
ProQuest
RSuite CMS
Scope e-Knowledge Center
TEMIS, Inc.
Thomson Reuters IP & Science
Thomson Reuters IP Solutions
Unlimited Priorities LLC
 
 
 
 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lyralists.lyrasis.org/pipermail/nfais-l/attachments/20131125/7fb01967/attachment.html>