June 16, 2011
Google Chromebooks Arrive; Will SMBs Open Their Wallets?
Talkin’ Cloud
Joe Panettieri looks at the challenge Chromebooks might face tapping into the SMB market.
“I’ve got a strong hunch that Chromebooks will catch on within the education vertical first, as schools seek low-cost, cloud-enabled devices for students and teachers. Already,Google Apps for Education is a hit with schools. Now, I suspect, Chromebooks will expand Google’s footprint in the education market.”
Does Microsoft need to rethink its Windows upgrade pricing?
ZDNet
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes looks at whether Microsoft is getting too expensive to compete.
“Here’s the way I see it. There’s absolutely no reason whatsoever for Microsoft to still be charging over $100 for a retail upgrade. Even if you seek out an OEM version of Windows 7 Home premium (one that you can only install and activate on a single system, and where you don’t get any support) still costs over $80.”
Office 365: Will Distributors Resell Microsoft’s Cloud Apps?
The VAR Guy
The VAR Guy reports on how the offering might enter the channel.
“VARs and MSPs can earn nominal recurring revenues reselling Office 365 but Microsoft – at least so far – will not permit channel partners to manage the end-customer billing process.”
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