New Chromebook Killer from Microsoft

Microsoft has disclosed a new range of laptops aimed at schools and students with an intent to kill the current Chromebook market. With prices starting at just $189, these new Windows 10 devices are designed to crush the Chromebook currently threatening to topple the Microsoft empire.

The Chromebook has become a common sight in classrooms around the world, but especially in the U.S. These cheap and cheerful Chrome OS devices offer an alternative to Windows, and students are embracing this change. However, Microsoft isn’t going to give up that easily.

2018 plans for Microsoft

Microsoft has announced its plans for education for 2018. Which involves new low-cost Windows 10 devices from Lenovo and JP, new updates for Office 365 Education, and a free update for Minecraft: Education Edition designed to help “engage students of all ages in chemistry”.

The cheapest of the new laptops is the Lenovo 100e, which is powered by the Intel Celeron Apollo Lake and priced at $189. There’s also the 2-in-1 300e for $279, the Classmate Leap T303 with Windows Hello for $199, and the Trigono V401 2-in-1 with pen and touch priced at $299.

Hear all about What’s New in EDU including exciting new additions for Minecraft: Education Edition, new Office 365 Education updates, and Windows 10 device offers. Plus, exciting new mixed reality news & partnerships all announced today from #MicrosoftEDU https://t.co/ZXoPMq3Tna pic.twitter.com/XD6EEcNkKS

— Microsoft Education (@MicrosoftEDU) January 22, 2018

On the software front, Microsoft has a host of updates lined up for Office 365 Education. These include a dictation feature, the ability for teachers to lock pages in Class Notebooks, and the ability to record lessons in PowerPoint, with Stream adding automatic captioning.

What do you think of Microsoft’s strategy to entice schools back to using Windows? Can Microsoft beat Google at its own game? Or are Chromebooks now established as an alternative for students? Are you tempted by the new devices? Please let us know in the comments below!