Google, HP join hands to make Chromebooks

HP, market leader in personal computer and Google have joined hands to make Chromebooks in India.

Chromebooks are affordable PCs running Google’s Chromebook OS, and come with built-in accessibility and security features.

Currently, Chromebooks have a low-single-digit share in HP’s overall portfolio in India. However, the move to make them locally will cater to the demand for affordable PCs in India, mainly from the education sector.

The move was in line with India’s growing focus on digital education and many government schools are investing in computing hardware, which includes laptops, desktops and tablets.

According to the reports, local manufacturing of Chromebooks are likely to help HP secure orders from government schools as well. With this, HP also intends to counter the 9-inch tablet market with its 11-inch Chromebooks.

Also, considering Chromebooks are low-cost hardware, even with the local manufacturing, the pricing would remain competitive. These devices will be manufactured at the Flex Facility near Chennai—where HP has been producing a range of laptops and desktops since August 2020—starting October 2.

Google’s Chromebook is popular amongst education sector globally and is picking up in India as well.

With this partnership, the two tech giants aim to increase support for digital education ecosystem in India and help more students enhance their education by providing affordable, safe, and high-quality computing devices to education authorities, schools, and institutions. Overall, Chromebooks are the leading device in K-12 education, helping over 50 million students and teachers across the world.

Last month, the Indian government, in a bid to encourage local manufacturing of large electronics products, put restrictions on imports of laptops, desktops, and tablets.