- The firm's first own-brand computer 'could launch at the end of the year'
- Search giant said to have ordered 20million units
By Kate Bevan
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Google is set to launch its own touchscreen laptop, according to industry sources.
Despite disappointing take-up of its Chromebook device, the internet search giant has ordered 20million units and hopes to ship the new devices by the end of this year.
The California-based company hinted at the possibility of launching a touchscreen version of the Chromebook earlier in the year when senior vice-president Sundar Pichai said: 'We are deeply incorporating touch so if people want to ship something with a touchscreen, we can do that as well.'
See the Chromebook in action below
Google's Chromebook, running a version of the search giant's Chrome browser, could get a touchscreen model by the end of this year
Google first launched Samsung and Acer-branded Chromebooks last year. The thin and light laptops, which followed the design trend set by Apple's MacBook Air and Windows Ultrabooks, went on sale at £229.
The price has dropped since then: the latest version of the Chromebook is now on sale through Google's online Play store, starting at £199.
The company has hoped to lure customers who are attracted by the low price of some tablet computers but who want a proper keyboard with its Chromebook, which works on a version of Google's browser, Chrome.
Unlike other laptops, they don't have a hard drive, instead connecting to the cloud to access services provided by Google.
This means that instead of keeping your photographs, documents and music on your own computer, they are stored on Google's servers and accessed via Google's services such as Google Docs, Google Music and Picasa.
Further functionality can be added with apps downloaded via the Chrome web store, from the hugely popular Angry Birds game to Amazon's Kindle reading app.
Chromebooks are built around the ARM processor, which is designed for lightweight mobile devices.
That means the laptop can't run Windows or Apple's iOS operating system, and can't run programs designed for those computers.
Google's Nexus 7 tablet runs the latest version of Android, dubbed Jelly Bean, and has been warmly received
However, the Chromebook has failed to capture the imagination of the public, and Google has been tight-lipped about sales figures.
Although a Chromebook can now be used when it's not connected to the internet, potential buyers have shied away from a device they perceive as needing to be online to do any meaningful work.
And it hasn't been a hit with businesses despite its low price because of the difficulty of using it in an enterprise environment.
But Google said that the Chromebook was the 'best-selling laptop on Amazon'.
The rumours surfaced after China Times newspaper reported that Wintek would be supplying the all-important touchscreen.
Google said it never commented on speculation and rumour.
Touchscreen devices have taken computing by storm ever since Apple launched its iPad in 2010.
Other manufacturers such as Samsung and Asus quickly followed Apple with their own version of tablet computers running Google's Android mobile operating system.
Android is the dominant mobile operating system, with analysts Gartner reporting that it had 72.4 per cent of the market in the third quarter of this year, up from 52.5 per cent a year ago.
Android as a tablet operating system has steadily improved since the early releases, with its current version, Jelly Bean, widely regarded as a solid and very good platform.
A version of Android underpins the Amazon Fire and Fire HD E-readers, as well as being on tablets made by manufacturers from Asus to Samsung.
Google's own-brand Android tablets and mobile phones, the Nexus range, have won praise for their build quality and slick implementation of Android Jelly Bean.
Apple's iPad Mini, launched at the beginning of November, was widely seen as the computer giant's attempt to win back hearts and minds - and market share - after the lacklustre launch of its full-sized iPad 4.
The company has struggled to maintain its reputation for innovation since the death of founder Steve Jobs last year.
The tablet and touchscreen market is seen as having been given a shot in the arm by the launch of Microsoft's Surface tablet, a touchscreen device with a cover that doubles as a keyboard and runs the latest version of Windows, which is designed for touch.
However, reviews of the first Surface devices have been mixed, with some reporting disappointment at its choppy performance.
Many people are unhappy with the touchscreen interface designed by Microsoft for Windows 8.
Other Windows 8 touchscreen devices - laptops, keyboards and hybrid devices - are starting to reach the shops now as Christmas approaches.
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