Business and enterprise desktops is an interesting market recently – on the one hand, because extended support for Windows 7 nears its end early in 2020, multiple companies are eager to buy new PCs; on the other hand, margins are low and competition between suppliers is cut-throat. To minimize competition, HP has released one of the industry’s first Chromebox for Enterprise: a UCFF desktop PC for frontline workers, call centers, shared spaces, kiosks, or digital signage applications.
The Chromebox Enterprise G2 comes in a small 14.93×14.93×4 cm black box that packs Intel’s 7th Generation dual-core Core i3-7130U with UHD 620 graphics CPU or Celeron 3867U with UHD 610 graphics CPU that is paired with 16 GB DDR4-2400 DRAM as well as an M.2 SSD.
In a bid to meet requirements of all possible applications, the Chromebox Enterprise G2 features rather vast connectivity capabilities that include GbE, Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 4.2, three USB 3.0 Type-A ports, two USB 2.0 Type-A ports, one USB Type-C connector, one HDMI display output, one 3-in-1 SD card reader, and a 3.5-mm headphone jack. Depending on configuration, the Chromebox Enterprise G2 comes with a 65 W or a 90 W power brick.
Unlike Chromebooks, Chromeboxes have not really gained traction on the market partly because people expect high performance and advanced multimedia capabilities from their desktops, but mostly because people are so used to Windows programs. By releasing a Chromebox for Enterprise, HP obviously faces some risks, but believes that since many people use web-based apps nowadays, they will use a Chrome OS-based desktop without any problems. Meanwhile, the advantage of web-based applications is also their disadvantage because they depend on reliability of Internet connection. On the other hand, one indisputable trump that HP’s Chromebox Enterprise G2 has is support for numerous capabilities aimed precisely at businesses, including 24/7 Google support, automatic software updates through June 2024, virus protection, sandboxing, verified boot, remote management, and easy deployment. All in all, it will be interesting to sell how successful HP’s Chromebox for Enterprise is going to be.
HP’s Chromebox Enterprise machines will be available in November. Pricing will depend on configurations.