I suppose the Chromebook raises the stock of all cloud stocks because really it forces you to use cloud services, both Google's and the ones you already have.
Google (NASDAQ: GOOG - News) is planning to introduce its Chromebook line of laptops next month, a move aimed at bolstering the search engine giant's foray into computer hardware and one that could keep cloud-computing stocks in focus. The laptops, which will run Google's Chrome operating system, will debut on June 15 in the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Netherlands, Italy and Spain, with more countries following in the coming months, Bloomberg News reported, citing the company.
The Cloud Computing Stocks Index is up half a percent today, sharply outperforming the broader market. Google, the largest U.S. provider of Internet search services, developed Chrome to rival Microsoft's (NASDAQ: MSFT - News) Windows and Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL - News) Mac software. The Chromebooks will start $349, Bloomberg reported.
Looking at other cloud stocks, shares of NetApp (NASDAQ: NTAP - News) are down slightly despite being upgraded to "buy" from "hold" by Canaccord Genuity. The research firm also boosted its price target on the stock to $62 from $58.50, implying decent upside from where the shares currently trade.
Shares of Salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM - News) and EMC (NYSE: EMC - News) are both up about half a percent while Riverbed Technology (NASDAQ: RVBD - News) is soaring 2%. Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN - News) is lower by 1%.