Google Chromebook Tops Amazon's Best-Seller List

Google GOOG and Samsung are big fans of the belief that if at first they don't succeed, they should keep trying (and spend more money on advertising) until they get it right. After a 15-month struggle to turn the Chromebook into the next big laptop, it seems that the two companies are finally on the right track. The latest Chromebook, which features 2GB RAM, an 11.6-inch display and a 1.7 GHz dual-core processor, comes in two varieties -- Wi-Fi and 3G/Wi-Fi. The former has climbed to the top of Amazon's AMZN best-seller list, beating Apple's AAPL 13-inch MacBook Pro. The 3G Chromebook comes in at third place, followed by the 13-inch MacBook Air. The colossal 15.6-inch Dell DELL Inspiron rounds out the top five. Last Thursday, Gartner IT analyst Carolina Milanesi told Computerworld that she was not sure that the low price point would have a great impact on sales. "Consumers do not want to choose between apps and Internet; they want both," she said. "The $249 is certainly an interesting price point, but consumers have been burned with netbooks and will be cautious and look beyond the price tag." It is true that netbooks have disappointed many consumers. Their smaller bodies and lower price tags have resulted in cheaper products that fail to perform as well as full-fledged laptops that are marginally more expensive. That said, it seems that consumers have faith in Google's ability to produce a great product. While the first batch of Chromebooks failed to catch on, the new iteration is doing quite well. Google has not yet shipped the computer to retailers, but Best Buy BBY estimates that those who pre-order the device will receive theirs in six to 10 days. In addition to Google, Apple and Dell machines, Sony SNE and Asus computers are doing well on Amazon. In fact, Asus commands three of the top 10 sales positions. Hewlett-Packard HPQ did not perform as well, but its 15.6-inch Pavilion laptop currently holds the 12th position. Follow me @LouisBedigianBZ