So much for upgrading to a new Chromebook after a year. Very disappointed in the new model…

I must say, I’m very disappointed in the new Chromebook announcement this week. I’ve owned the Samsung Series 3 since last fall and love it, but was hoping in a year they’d come out with one a bit more powerful with some extra doo-dads. And when I heard the rumors a few weeks ago, I was psyched. But then they release the “all-new” Chromebook 11 by HP, which:

- Uses the same Exynos processor as the Series 3

- Has the same onboard 16GB SSD as the Series 3

- Has the same RAM as the Series 3…meaning it’s going to have essentially the same performance as last year’s Chromebook. It’s also listed at a fraction less than last year’s in battery life, but then also:

- Eliminates the SD card slot (no more dual boot Ubuntu from a card, or plugging in a card full of photos from my camera)

- Eliminates the HDMI out (so no more easily plugging into my LCD TV; now I’d need a micro-USB to HDMI adapter)

- Eliminates the USB 3.0 port (not that I’ve ever taken advantage of it, but seems to be quite the step backwards)

It does apparently have a better screen (IPS), but from all accounts, it’s much glossier (read: sun/light glare) than the Samsung’s matte screen, with the same resolution. Oh, and it can use a micro-USB cord to charge it. Well, okay.

With using all of last year’s technologies and removing ports and using a less capable battery, it must be quite a deal, right? Uh, nope. It’s $30 more than the Series 3 ($279 vs $249).

I love using my Chromebook. It’s absolutely perfect for writing. I don’t need a new one, but I would have happily scratched up another $250 this year for a whiz bang upgrade to it, especially if it made a difference in performance or storage. Guess not.

Oh wait, I can order it with one of five colored lines on it.

*sigh*