????那些大量投資于微軟Office和其它專利軟件的企業(yè)則是一個(gè)Chromebook很難打入的市場。弗雷斯特研究公司（Forrester）分析師JP?戈登曾經(jīng)在2013年7月的一篇博客文章中指出,，Chrome OS的確有機(jī)會(huì)“填補(bǔ)一塊合理的小眾市場”,，也就是占領(lǐng)那些愿意分割勞動(dòng)力、同時(shí)也愿意使用谷歌軟件的公司,。戈登認(rèn)為,，Chrome OS的優(yōu)勢(shì)包括運(yùn)行時(shí)間長、服務(wù)成本低,，而且新的應(yīng)用和內(nèi)容很容易就能大范圍部署,。另外一些網(wǎng)絡(luò)方案帶來的協(xié)作便利性也是一個(gè)重要的加分因素。

????Chrome OS剛問世的時(shí)候,，許多行業(yè)評(píng)論人士都很難說出這樣一個(gè)功能有限且高度依賴網(wǎng)絡(luò)的平臺(tái)有什么吸引力,。但是隨著Windows8/8.1陷入低迷，加上蘋果筆記本依舊壟斷高端市場,，Chrome OS的簡潔性突然得到了人們的關(guān)注,。ZDNet的大衛(wèi)?格維茨在今年一月寫道：“現(xiàn)在我開始向老百姓推薦Chromebook，而不是Windows的筆記本電腦,?！?/p>

????總體上，分析師們對(duì)Chrome OS產(chǎn)品2014年能否繼續(xù)攻城略地持謹(jǐn)慎態(tài)度,。NPD的貝克說：“我們認(rèn)為Chromebook還沒有準(zhǔn)備好在商用領(lǐng)域與PC進(jìn)行充分競爭,。到目前為止，他們?cè)贐2B平臺(tái)上的銷量主要還是圍繞著學(xué)校和政府機(jī)構(gòu),，因?yàn)閷?duì)于這些機(jī)構(gòu)來說,，Chrome OS的某些個(gè)別優(yōu)勢(shì)成了他們購買Chromebook的一個(gè)重要因素——比如易于管理、多賬號(hào)登錄,、維護(hù)及購置成本低,、方便與其他谷歌設(shè)備兼容等等?！?/p>

????斯蒂斯也表示：“與VMWare合作提供Windows程序無疑會(huì)使Chromebook對(duì)商用市場產(chǎn)生更大的吸引力,。尤其是對(duì)于教育市場這種總是有網(wǎng)絡(luò)連接的行業(yè)，或是對(duì)于已經(jīng)大量使用云計(jì)算的中小型企業(yè)來說,，Chromebook是一種非常合適的低成本設(shè)備,。但是如果出了這個(gè)環(huán)境，它就得和標(biāo)準(zhǔn)的高性能PC競爭,，后者不僅天生就能運(yùn)行微軟Office軟件,，而且有更大的本地儲(chǔ)存空間,。”

????雖然在可見的將來,，Chrome OS的占有率可能仍然比較低,，但是它終于吸引了更多的眼球，其中還包括它的競爭對(duì)手,，光是這一點(diǎn)也足夠讓谷歌高興一陣了,。谷歌也肯定不會(huì)放棄Chrome OS。谷歌最新推出的Chromebox視頻會(huì)議系統(tǒng)除了提供了Google+環(huán)聊視頻會(huì)議功能和各種谷歌應(yīng)用外,，還提供了高分辨率的音視頻功能,，整套視頻會(huì)議系統(tǒng)只賣999美元。

????另外在市場的各個(gè)領(lǐng)域,，谷歌都已經(jīng)在競爭對(duì)手的數(shù)百萬臺(tái)電腦上建立了自己的橋頭堡,。它的Chrome瀏覽器的Windows、Mac和Linux版本已經(jīng)安裝在了全球16.22%的電腦上,，另外谷歌還發(fā)布了Windows版的谷歌應(yīng)用啟動(dòng)器,。可以肯定的是,，隨著高速Wi-Fi越來越普及,，網(wǎng)絡(luò)應(yīng)用將變得越來越強(qiáng)大。這對(duì)于谷歌這個(gè)到目前為止最大膽的項(xiàng)目來說無疑是個(gè)好消息,。（財(cái)富中文網(wǎng)）

????譯者：樸成奎

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????For businesses heavily invested in Microsoft Office and proprietary desktop software, Chromebooks are a tough sell. Yet as Forrester analyst JP Gordon noted in a July 2013 blog post, they do have the opportunity to "fill a legitimate computing niche" for companies willing to segment their workforce and switch to Google Apps, at least in part. The benefits of Chrome OS cited by Gordon include high uptime, low service costs, and scalable deployment of new applications and content. The ease of collaboration provided by programs that live online is another important factor.

????When Chrome OS first appeared, industry commentators struggled to see the appeal of such a limited, online-dependent platform. With Windows 8/8.1 floundering and Apple (AAPL) laptops remaining at the premium end of the market, the simplicity of Chrome OS has suddenly become a strength: "I am now recommending Chromebooks instead of Windows laptops for civilians," wrote ZDNet's David Gewirtz in January.

????Overall, analysts remain cautious about Chrome OS's prospects for gaining further ground in 2014. "For business, we don't think Chromebooks are quite yet ready to compete fully with the PC in the workplace," NPD's Baker said. "Their success to date in B2B sales has been focused on schools and government organizations where some of the specific benefits of Chrome OS -- easy to manage, multiple sign-ons, low maintenance and acquisition costs, compatibility with other Google services -- are an important driver."

????"The announcement of the partnership with VMware to run legacy Windows will certainly make a Chromebook potentially more attractive to the commercial markets," Stice added. "They seem to be adequate low-cost devices for scenarios where connections are always available, such as the educational markets or in SMBs that are already heavily cloud-based. Take them out of that environment, and they are challenged by standard full performance PCs that can run Microsoft Office natively and have greater local storage."

????While Chrome OS take-up may remain low for the foreseeable future, Google will be pleased to have finally grabbed the attention of a wider audience, as well as its main rivals. It certainly won't be giving up on Chrome OS: Its new Chromebox for Meetings product wraps Google+ Hangouts video calling, Google Apps, and high-definition video and audio in a turnkey $999 setup for virtual conferences.

????What's more, the company has a beachhead on millions of competing computers across all sectors of the market. The Chrome browser for Windows, Mac, and Linux is installed on 16.22% of machines globally, while the Start screen version of Chrome is effectively Chrome OS running on Windows. What we can be certain of is that web apps will become more powerful at the same time as high-speed Wi-Fi becomes more ubiquitous -- which is all good news for one of Google's most daring projects to date.

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