Google has launched a new Chromebook laptop and a new, Mac Mini style Chromebox that it hopes will boost its Chrome OS operating system.

The release of the next generation Chromebooks will give Google and Samsung another opportunity to persuade consumers and businesses to buy an unconventional computer instead of machines running on familiar software by industry pioneers Microsoft Corp. and Apple Inc, AP reports. 

Data in the new 279 pounds Chromebox desktop and 379 pounds Chromebook laptop, launched to take on Microsoft and Apple, will be saved on Google’s servers in “the cloud”. 

Estimates suggest that fewer than 300,000 Chromebooks will be sold this year, accounting for less than 1 per cent of the laptop market. The two new devices include an improved, faster laptop, the Series 5, and a smaller box that will plug into existing monitors or televisions to provide access to the latest Chrome OS on a new platform, According to The Telegraph.

Unlike most computers, Google's Chromebooks don't have a hard drive. They function like terminals dependent on an Internet connection. The laptops come with 16 gigabytes of flash memory the kind found in smartphones, tablet computers and some iPods. Two USB ports allow external hard drives and other devices to be plugged into the machines.

According to The Sun, the first thing that strikes about the computer, which are manufactured by Samsung, is the speed with which they boot up. 

They boot up with in seconds, while a Windows driven PC can take more than a minute. 

They also ditch traditional software stored on the device such as Microsoft Office and Photoshop. 

Instead, users go online to access word-processing and photo-editing software on “web apps” via Google’s web based operating system Chrome. 

Google says it always intended to take things slowly with the Chromebooks to give its engineers time to understand the shortcomings of the machines and make the necessary improvements.

``This release is a big step in the journey to bringing (Chromebooks) to the mainstream,'' said Sundar Pichai, Google's senior vice president of Chrome and apps.