If the LS version can be had for $1000 (these are MSRP's after all) this would make an amazing alternative to a MacBook...there isn't a lot stopping you from running Linux or Windows on it with an SSD upgrade (which is rumored to be a standard M2 80mm.
It is, the best laptop I have ever owned in terms of looks and performance. If Linux and Chrome OS is their thing, which it definitely is mine, than run, don't walk, to buy this machine. Everything about it is screams style. If I sound like I'm a fanboy it's because I am, I'm really happy with this purchase.
Are you able to upgrade the SSD on it? My only apprehension about buying one is that I've got storage space anxiety, and I will not buy it unless I can buy a larger SSD and install it myself.
I think the Type-C ports are USB 3.0, not 3.1. The spec says 5gpbs, not 10. Type-C is apparently independent of USB 3.1. The Type-C port on the recently announced MacBook, for instance, is USB 3.0, not 3.1 :(
Type C is just the connector end. It's like in normal USB 1.1 or 2.0, there was Type A (standard end for hosts) and Type B (for devices) in mini and micro editions. The spec is all the same throughout. A given USB cord would carry at least its version and lower. (I hear there are cheap USB 1.1 cords out there that have trouble running USB 2.0 signals.)
I don't know if there's any difference between cables running USB 3.0 and 3.1, specifically. I think Type C connectors are compatible with both standards, but the older Type B ones won't be.
USB 3.1 and Type C ports have been talked about a lot together but it is just a timing thing that they were in development at the same time. Type C ports can be USB 3.0 or even just USB 2. They don't have to be USB 3.1. You can also have a USB 3.1 port that uses the old connector and not the Type C connector.
Most people do, meaning that the average user only really ever uses the internet when they fire up their computers. Sure sometimes they need to type up a document but why do they need to do that locally. Microsoft has their entire Office Suite online and it's fantastic. I even use the same macros and calculations that I wrote up years ago in Excel online. Photo editing, check out Pixel or even PhotoShop, yep, PhotoShop and it's great online, music creation, check out AudioTools, notes, well the Evernote web app is actually more feature rich than the tablet counterparts, also their is OneDrive and a lot, lot more. People must be using them now because I keep seeing more of these web apps pop up and they keep getting more and more powerful. You can even run an entire business using just Zoho.com. Your sarcasm just shows me how obvlivios you are to what is actually available on the net. The average person would be completely satisfied with a 300 dollar ChromeBook. I have converted over 25 people to using one and every single one couldn't be happier. We've even created a community where we share music, photos, movies, etc. Most of us even have ChromeBox's connected to out TV's with web cams connected and since I can now install Android apps I no longer need Linux to use Kodi(XBMC, which is probably the best media app ever created). These Chrome devices are a lot cooler than you think they are.
I had the first one for a while. It was awesome hardware that I preferred to Apple's machines. The 3:2 aspect ratio was phenomenal for my uses. The machine had heft to it but it was a solid modernesque-ThinkPad heft, not brick heft.
The software was of course the limiter.
With the 2015 refresh of both the Pixel and the MacBook, I much prefer Google's HW choices again: +SD card reader +two USB-C (brilliant that either side can be used to charge too!)
Personally I would not describe it as particularly similar to the new MacBook.
PS does anyone else find it odd that, in the high-res arena, Apple's high-end is now one of the lower pixel density options out there?! Details: http://pixensity.com/list/laptop/ - Apple starts at #17
They were going for pushing the industry forward, rather than trying to beat specs. I find it funny, though, that they started the trend (with the iPhone 4) and yet are still late to the party with the MacBook Air screen.
Or...for the same price as the 'LS" -- the 13" PCIe SSD equipped rMBP with faster processors and the 6/6100 series GPU's ...and an OS (w/on board support to run ANY OS you'd like) that'll Smash ChromeOS ...and you can get service. And you get 'storage' options. 32GB for one large. 64GB for 1300? That's ludicroius A facebook Google centerpiece is correct ...they're not meant to 'sell' & the MacBook is a MacBook. Not a MacBook Pro. Not even the 'Air' (which will hopefully also get the retina treatment). Tough to compete in the HiDPI arena with Apple and Google specifically because of their control over both soft and hardware --- as well as collaboration with the 'Adobes' of the world to allow for a killer HiDPI experience. My 2012 15" is still smokin'! Hopefully the Win10 (we use both OS'es) gets it 'right' and allows ease for developers to also easily transition their apps to high pixel density palettes with usable 'targets' sharp as a tack That's where OS X has absolutely nailed it. This looks like a killer rig but the storage sucks and limiting to being 'connected' for usage sucks worse. I'm a sucker for a killer display but if yiu can't cut in Premier or develop in PS, record in Logic or Pro Tools...Docs, Slides and Picassa would get old. Quick.
You should really do a little research on what kind of web apps are actually available now. It's not just Google, I have Photoshop, I use Codenvy as my default IDE now, MS Office, Zoho, Pixel, AudioTools, etc. These apps have gotten so good that they rival their desktop installed cousins. I also have Linux installed and use Android apps witnin Chrome OS so my options aren't limited as your suggesting. My new Pixel is the best development machine I have ever bought, not to mention the best looking.
Who cares, it's a cloud computer, local storage is only intended to be used as temporary storage. It also has an SD Card in which I personally use a 256 GB card. Before you think that their just isnt enough storsge online for your data, well, now that Google Photos is free I have uploaded my entire DVD/BluRay collection, 650 films in total. I ripped and encoded the film's to MP4 using 5 Nvidia Jetson boards in a cluster, with a BluRay drive connected to the main node. I wrote a custom program using CUDA, that rips, enoceds and than automatically uploads the film. When finished with it's process the program ejects the disc, and alerts me with a long beep. I just change discs and continue, well not me, I hired my son to do them all, took a while but he did it. By the way using the Jetson boards, I can rip/encode and entire BluRay in under 25 minutes, the only real bottle neck is the mechanical drive. The Jetson board is an amazing piece of tech, I also use then with Blender as a render farm. I am currently mapping out my entire house as a 3D model using Google Tango Tablet (they just split the price in half and I couldn't resist), I also took photos of everything in which I'll use as skim for the model. All being done using my Pixel 2, Tango Tablet and Jetson Dev boards. Google and Nvidia just rocks.
Will it be possible to change the OS! I am sure 90% of the people who buy this (mostly for the build quality) will change the OS. If they really care about chrome, they can buy one of the sub 250$ chrome laptops available.
Even with Chromebooks that use mostly standard PC parts (e.g. Acer C720) it's not possible to load Windows on them without a host of issues, due to lack of drivers.
Not true, I use Photoshop on a daily basis and Adobe will release their entire Creative Suite as web apps. Do you guys even know what kind of web apps are available now. Some of them are absolutely amazing and are easily just as powerful as any desktop installed software. I utilize the full power and potential of my i7, 16GB Pixel 2 all the time.
$999 is too much for this. I understand the specs are nice but for that type of money you would get a mac or a windows pc. I like some of the advantages of chrome over windows (it also has disadvantages) but $999 is way too close to the mac in price.
The Old Haswell Macbook Pro Retina 13 is being clearanced for $1030 new.
The new 13" Broadwell - U Macbook Pros (the real i5s and i7s) are going to retail for $1299 at the apple store and you can usually find them about a $100 cheaper from authorized retailers brand new in about a few weeks.
The 12" Macbook Retina, the new one is 920 grams. This is 1520 grams a difference of 600 grams which means this is 65% heavier. The new 12" Macbook Retina uses Intel's Broadwell-Y Core M which is a little faster than a 15w 4th Gen Haswell Core i3 . Yes the chromebook has two usb c ports not one, but 600 grams is quite heavy for an extra port. Furthermore if you were going to connect either one to a monitor you are still going to need an extra cable or an adapter with either the chromebook or the mac. And micro hdmi is a very rare cable so you will need a speciality cable or an micro hdmi to hdmi adapter so once again you need an adapter.
Furthermore Chrome is an opensource project so you can easily put a Chrome OS onto a windows pc as a dual boot or using Chrome OS in a Virtual Machine. Yes I understand this is already pre-installed but if you are going to spend the extra $700 for an i5 chromebook with a higher than 1080p screen you want far more capabilities than a faster cpu. If you are not technical enough for dual boot or virtual machine then you probably really do not need an i5 for $1000 dollars.
You can now get 13" 1080p ips screen chromebooks for $330 with the Toshiba Chromebook 2.
You can also very soon get a chromebook with a 15" 1080p ips with an i3 5005u (2.0ghz) or a broadwell celeron 3205u (1.5 ghz) made by acer. I have not seen the released prices for the ips and the i3 models but the crappy tn 768 panel with the celeron will be $249.
The Pixel is so expensive because it's made in limited quantities. Its primary users are Chrome OS developers and Google employees, mainly the ones working on Chrome OS team. Google made this for itself and said "since we made this we can share it to our Chrome OS hardcore fans".
When you make something in such a limited quantity you can't bring the research, development and manufacturing price down.
We call that an inefficiency of the market. As in wasted money. Sure you got a great product but it should not cost that much but it does for you limited your market share or you are competing in too highly competitive of a market that there is unneeded overlap.
This is okay if your goal with the Pixel is to make a good device regardless of the cost, but if your goal is to make money then something needs to be changing. The Pixel will not make Google much if any money at a $999 price point for the lowest sku, let alone higher prices for more storage.
I am all for good build quality, but I actually want that technology to disperse into the market. If a perfect device only exists in a museum or if 85% of the 1st Chrome is used by Google Developers in house, or people who visited IO I call that a market failure. This technology needs to catch on in the general population, not just exist in theory but never actually really used.
I think the point of the product is just to keep Chrome OS development and adoption going until it becomes a more viable alternative to Windows and Mac.
You actually have no idea what your talking about, read up on the impact ChromeBooks are now having on education. OS's like Chrome OS are the future, traditional desktops will be dead in under 10 years, it will all be be web based. If you don't see this than you better start reading. What do you think iOS is, it's basically Chrome OS, instead of downloading the programs UI every time you start an app, it's stored locally but the app still has to be connected to use it. Count how many apps on your tablet that you can use offline, your going to find that number a lot larger than you thought. Like it or not, this is the way things are heading.
If $999 or $1299 is too much for you then the product probably wasn't targeted at you. Yeah, they build one hell of a laptop and Windows or anything would be better, but generally the developers that are able to afford one have money - they're software developers.
They made the Pixel for developer's. Why did Apple make the new MacBook, as far as I'm concerned it's the most useless laptop I have ever seen but that didn't stop Apple creating it. This is a proof of concept, a snow case and are produced in limited numbers. No one is saying you have to buy one, I personally immensely enjoy mine but I know what's actually available online and the kind of web apps that are useful and their are a lot and growing. I'm a actually using Photoshop and soon Adobe will release their entire Creative Suite as a web app. Like it or this is the future of computing.
Storage has never been the barometer of how "good" a laptop is, and in 2015, it couldn't be further from the truth. Do I really need to point out how cloud storage is virtually unlimited? I think this Chromebook does look better than a Macbook.
Every company data mines, including Apple. Now with government surveillance being the way it is, if your online, someone is watching you, so this idea of privacy is archaic. Google also doesn't sell your data, this notion is completely false. What exactly do you have to hide anyway. I keep all of my personal data on local SD Card which is backed up to a old school Iomega Jazz Drive, everything else, who cares. I keep my online presence very G rated and never reveal anything outside of my name, occupation and location in the world. Things that can be easily found even if I didn't reveal it.
Which i7? If it's one with Iris Pro, and that SSD can be replaced, then that's a nice, but overpriced machine. The Dell XPS 13 has this area tied up right now.
Yeah, I can't see the appeal of this over an XPS 13. You can even get the XPS 13 with largely equivalent specs, asides from more storage but "only" a FHD screen, for $200 cheaper. If you hate Windows then I guess, but even then couldn't you load a Linux distro on the XPS?
It looks like a decent machine with a great screen but low storage. IMO it'd be more attractive with Linux/Windows and an external hard drive. You might even be able to run League or other not-so-demanding games on it.
Yeah, I guess as a halo device in limited quantities, this makes sense. Otherwise, it's pretty weird. Ultrabook price, ultrabook specs, not ultrabook storage, and not real OS. If this thing had 128GB on it I can imagine it as a really nice linux laptop, which I would totally get. I haven't bothered with linux on laptops since forever, even though it is what I use for everything else.
If an average person can use it to do everything that they care to do on a computer, then what makes it "not a real OS?" The fact is, Chrome is the most forward-thinking OS available today. It IS a real OS, and in 10 years (maybe even 5), it will probably be the only real OS.
I like that you use kg for weight, a huge improvement over those pounds or whatever, but could you also switch to mm for dimensions please?
As for the laptop, overpriced for a netbook. I presume it has 16GB ram because Chrome is such a memory hog. It would make a nice Linux/Windows machine, but I prefer XPS 13.
Chrome OS is more efficient with it's memory than OSX or Windows. 16GB is only available on the LS because it's the premium model, how did you come to asemption that the OS must have horrible memory issues. Let's face it, memory is cheap, every notebook should now come with at least 8GB of memory as standard with 16GB being the average. I find it appalling that companies like Apple even have 4GB models listed on their sites. It's okay for a tablet but a notebook, no.
I'm still amazed after all these years that so many in the tech community still do not understand the reason and usage methodology of ChromeOS and it's hardware. Why have so many been living under a rock?
It was said somewhere above in comments, but it bears repeating: only reason for ChromeOS existence is Google data mining. For every other task there is a better, much more functional and network agnostic solution.
That doesn't even make sense. Google doesn't need you to use their OS to get your data, they have reams of it already no matter what OS you use. You're beginning to sound shrill.
I have no idea but it's actually making me kinf of upset reading this comments. Do people not know about web apps or better yet know how many really good ones are now out there. Microsoft has their entire Office suite online, Adobe is going to release theirs soon as well, Photoshop was just the start, check out AudioTools and than try to tell me that web apps can't co pare to desktop applications. I have completely moved my entire development environment to Codenvy, it's awesome and blows every other IDE I have encountered on the desktop for one major reason, corporative programming, my entire staff can log in and work on the same project without stepping on each others toes, it's amazing. I mean these comments are exactly the same ones I read two years ago, they just can't get over the old way of doing things with their computers. Well they better start learning because this is the direction all companies are headed. Why do you think Apple is spending millions on iCloud, what, just to be used as some sort secondary or backup tools. Nope, mark my words, Apple will be coming out with their own version of the Chromebook sooner than later. The new MacBook is paving the way for that future
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Stuka87 - Wednesday, March 11, 2015 - link
Did the original Pixel sell at all? This new one is cheaper, and has decent specs, but only running ChromeOS kind of makes its usability a bit meh.Its quite similar to the new MacBook, only without a real OS or super slim profile. Although it does have *TWO* USB ports!
extide - Wednesday, March 11, 2015 - link
Wow, the LS versions would be an awesome little linux machine... Hrmmmmm :Dedhburns - Wednesday, March 11, 2015 - link
Yes it would. Ludicrous Speed Gooooooooooooooo!I love that Google has a sense of humor.
... They've gone to plaid.
BlueBlazer - Wednesday, March 11, 2015 - link
Must have been fans of Spaceballs!Samus - Wednesday, March 11, 2015 - link
If the LS version can be had for $1000 (these are MSRP's after all) this would make an amazing alternative to a MacBook...there isn't a lot stopping you from running Linux or Windows on it with an SSD upgrade (which is rumored to be a standard M2 80mm.kyuu - Thursday, March 12, 2015 - link
Driver support (for the trackpad, touchscreen, etc.) is one thing stopping you from running Windows on this.danjw - Thursday, March 12, 2015 - link
I think the Pixels are only sold through the Play store.calden - Monday, June 1, 2015 - link
It is, the best laptop I have ever owned in terms of looks and performance. If Linux and Chrome OS is their thing, which it definitely is mine, than run, don't walk, to buy this machine. Everything about it is screams style. If I sound like I'm a fanboy it's because I am, I'm really happy with this purchase.zcweisman - Monday, June 29, 2015 - link
Are you able to upgrade the SSD on it? My only apprehension about buying one is that I've got storage space anxiety, and I will not buy it unless I can buy a larger SSD and install it myself.tyger11 - Wednesday, March 11, 2015 - link
Actually, the article says it has FOUR USB ports - two of them are Type-C.erikiksaz - Wednesday, March 11, 2015 - link
The pixel was never made to be a huge seller. It was meant to be a halo device for which other chromebooks would aspire to beat in specs/price.Michael Bay - Friday, March 13, 2015 - link
And no other chromebook manufacturer ever bothered.Maybe because they want to make some profits in the end.
ilkhan - Wednesday, March 11, 2015 - link
4 ports. 2 USB 3.1 type C, 2 USB 3.0tyger11 - Wednesday, March 11, 2015 - link
I think the Type-C ports are USB 3.0, not 3.1. The spec says 5gpbs, not 10. Type-C is apparently independent of USB 3.1. The Type-C port on the recently announced MacBook, for instance, is USB 3.0, not 3.1 :(Brandon Chester - Wednesday, March 11, 2015 - link
They're 3.0 spec, so 5Gbps.keg504 - Wednesday, March 11, 2015 - link
Is the 100W capability part of the Type-C spec? I always thought that it was 3.1 over Type-CHemlocke - Wednesday, March 11, 2015 - link
The MacBook official spec sheet says USB 3.1.SirKnobsworth - Wednesday, March 11, 2015 - link
It says "USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 Gbps)"mkozakewich - Saturday, March 14, 2015 - link
Type C is just the connector end. It's like in normal USB 1.1 or 2.0, there was Type A (standard end for hosts) and Type B (for devices) in mini and micro editions. The spec is all the same throughout. A given USB cord would carry at least its version and lower. (I hear there are cheap USB 1.1 cords out there that have trouble running USB 2.0 signals.)I don't know if there's any difference between cables running USB 3.0 and 3.1, specifically. I think Type C connectors are compatible with both standards, but the older Type B ones won't be.
kpb321 - Wednesday, March 11, 2015 - link
USB 3.1 and Type C ports have been talked about a lot together but it is just a timing thing that they were in development at the same time. Type C ports can be USB 3.0 or even just USB 2. They don't have to be USB 3.1. You can also have a USB 3.1 port that uses the old connector and not the Type C connector.Impulses - Thursday, March 12, 2015 - link
I'm just happy to see Type C gaining traction...thomas vu - Wednesday, March 11, 2015 - link
"I want to pay $1299 for my facebook machine"calden - Monday, June 1, 2015 - link
Most people do, meaning that the average user only really ever uses the internet when they fire up their computers. Sure sometimes they need to type up a document but why do they need to do that locally. Microsoft has their entire Office Suite online and it's fantastic. I even use the same macros and calculations that I wrote up years ago in Excel online. Photo editing, check out Pixel or even PhotoShop, yep, PhotoShop and it's great online, music creation, check out AudioTools, notes, well the Evernote web app is actually more feature rich than the tablet counterparts, also their is OneDrive and a lot, lot more. People must be using them now because I keep seeing more of these web apps pop up and they keep getting more and more powerful. You can even run an entire business using just Zoho.com. Your sarcasm just shows me how obvlivios you are to what is actually available on the net. The average person would be completely satisfied with a 300 dollar ChromeBook. I have converted over 25 people to using one and every single one couldn't be happier. We've even created a community where we share music, photos, movies, etc. Most of us even have ChromeBox's connected to out TV's with web cams connected and since I can now install Android apps I no longer need Linux to use Kodi(XBMC, which is probably the best media app ever created). These Chrome devices are a lot cooler than you think they are.coolhardware - Thursday, March 12, 2015 - link
I had the first one for a while. It was awesome hardware that I preferred to Apple's machines. The 3:2 aspect ratio was phenomenal for my uses. The machine had heft to it but it was a solid modernesque-ThinkPad heft, not brick heft.The software was of course the limiter.
With the 2015 refresh of both the Pixel and the MacBook, I much prefer Google's HW choices again:
+SD card reader
+two USB-C (brilliant that either side can be used to charge too!)
Personally I would not describe it as particularly similar to the new MacBook.
coolhardware - Thursday, March 12, 2015 - link
PS does anyone else find it odd that, in the high-res arena, Apple's high-end is now one of the lower pixel density options out there?! Details: http://pixensity.com/list/laptop/ - Apple starts at #17mkozakewich - Saturday, March 14, 2015 - link
They were going for pushing the industry forward, rather than trying to beat specs. I find it funny, though, that they started the trend (with the iPhone 4) and yet are still late to the party with the MacBook Air screen.zepi - Thursday, March 12, 2015 - link
If you don't care about the 60% increase in weight, then why would you consider Macbook in the first place?It makes a lot of sacrifices to reach that size / weight class and why would you make them, if you don't care about the benefits that you get?
steven75 - Thursday, March 12, 2015 - link
It's like a Macbook only with-A far more limited OS
-Much less hard drive space
-Much heavier
-Much thicker
-And you cannot opt-out of datamining
All for the same price!
akdj - Friday, March 13, 2015 - link
Or...for the same price as the 'LS" -- the 13" PCIe SSD equipped rMBP with faster processors and the 6/6100 series GPU's ...and an OS (w/on board support to run ANY OS you'd like) that'll Smash ChromeOS ...and you can get service. And you get 'storage' options. 32GB for one large. 64GB for 1300?That's ludicroius
A facebook Google centerpiece is correct ...they're not meant to 'sell'
& the MacBook is a MacBook. Not a MacBook Pro. Not even the 'Air' (which will hopefully also get the retina treatment). Tough to compete in the HiDPI arena with Apple and Google specifically because of their control over both soft and hardware --- as well as collaboration with the 'Adobes' of the world to allow for a killer HiDPI experience. My 2012 15" is still smokin'!
Hopefully the Win10 (we use both OS'es) gets it 'right' and allows ease for developers to also easily transition their apps to high pixel density palettes with usable 'targets' sharp as a tack
That's where OS X has absolutely nailed it.
This looks like a killer rig but the storage sucks and limiting to being 'connected' for usage sucks worse. I'm a sucker for a killer display but if yiu can't cut in Premier or develop in PS, record in Logic or Pro Tools...Docs, Slides and Picassa would get old. Quick.
calden - Monday, June 1, 2015 - link
You should really do a little research on what kind of web apps are actually available now. It's not just Google, I have Photoshop, I use Codenvy as my default IDE now, MS Office, Zoho, Pixel, AudioTools, etc. These apps have gotten so good that they rival their desktop installed cousins. I also have Linux installed and use Android apps witnin Chrome OS so my options aren't limited as your suggesting. My new Pixel is the best development machine I have ever bought, not to mention the best looking.Essence_of_War - Wednesday, March 11, 2015 - link
Brandon, is there any word on what (if anything) is soldered down under the hood? Storage? Memory?tyger11 - Wednesday, March 11, 2015 - link
What is the type of storage on this - is that 32/64GB an upgradable M.2 module or a regular SATA SSD?Novacius - Wednesday, March 11, 2015 - link
I think it's soldered on, just like with the original Pixel.calden - Monday, June 1, 2015 - link
Who cares, it's a cloud computer, local storage is only intended to be used as temporary storage. It also has an SD Card in which I personally use a 256 GB card. Before you think that their just isnt enough storsge online for your data, well, now that Google Photos is free I have uploaded my entire DVD/BluRay collection, 650 films in total. I ripped and encoded the film's to MP4 using 5 Nvidia Jetson boards in a cluster, with a BluRay drive connected to the main node. I wrote a custom program using CUDA, that rips, enoceds and than automatically uploads the film. When finished with it's process the program ejects the disc, and alerts me with a long beep. I just change discs and continue, well not me, I hired my son to do them all, took a while but he did it. By the way using the Jetson boards, I can rip/encode and entire BluRay in under 25 minutes, the only real bottle neck is the mechanical drive. The Jetson board is an amazing piece of tech, I also use then with Blender as a render farm. I am currently mapping out my entire house as a 3D model using Google Tango Tablet (they just split the price in half and I couldn't resist), I also took photos of everything in which I'll use as skim for the model. All being done using my Pixel 2, Tango Tablet and Jetson Dev boards. Google and Nvidia just rocks.sseemaku - Wednesday, March 11, 2015 - link
Will it be possible to change the OS! I am sure 90% of the people who buy this (mostly for the build quality) will change the OS. If they really care about chrome, they can buy one of the sub 250$ chrome laptops available.Yuriman - Wednesday, March 11, 2015 - link
Even with Chromebooks that use mostly standard PC parts (e.g. Acer C720) it's not possible to load Windows on them without a host of issues, due to lack of drivers.Taneli - Wednesday, March 11, 2015 - link
You can install other Linux distros with Croutonnathanddrews - Wednesday, March 11, 2015 - link
Pardon my ignorance, but what exactly is the point of an i7 with Chrome OS? Isn't that overkill for a cloud-based web appliance?pixelstuff - Wednesday, March 11, 2015 - link
It is only overkill if no one writes a web app capable of making use of it.calden - Monday, June 1, 2015 - link
Not true, I use Photoshop on a daily basis and Adobe will release their entire Creative Suite as web apps. Do you guys even know what kind of web apps are available now. Some of them are absolutely amazing and are easily just as powerful as any desktop installed software. I utilize the full power and potential of my i7, 16GB Pixel 2 all the time.Novacius - Wednesday, March 11, 2015 - link
The original Chromebook Pixel never was buyable in Germany. I hope that'll change now because I want one!Roland00Address - Wednesday, March 11, 2015 - link
$999 is too much for this. I understand the specs are nice but for that type of money you would get a mac or a windows pc. I like some of the advantages of chrome over windows (it also has disadvantages) but $999 is way too close to the mac in price.The Old Haswell Macbook Pro Retina 13 is being clearanced for $1030 new.
The new 13" Broadwell - U Macbook Pros (the real i5s and i7s) are going to retail for $1299 at the apple store and you can usually find them about a $100 cheaper from authorized retailers brand new in about a few weeks.
The 12" Macbook Retina, the new one is 920 grams. This is 1520 grams a difference of 600 grams which means this is 65% heavier. The new 12" Macbook Retina uses Intel's Broadwell-Y Core M which is a little faster than a 15w 4th Gen Haswell Core i3 . Yes the chromebook has two usb c ports not one, but 600 grams is quite heavy for an extra port. Furthermore if you were going to connect either one to a monitor you are still going to need an extra cable or an adapter with either the chromebook or the mac. And micro hdmi is a very rare cable so you will need a speciality cable or an micro hdmi to hdmi adapter so once again you need an adapter.
Furthermore Chrome is an opensource project so you can easily put a Chrome OS onto a windows pc as a dual boot or using Chrome OS in a Virtual Machine. Yes I understand this is already pre-installed but if you are going to spend the extra $700 for an i5 chromebook with a higher than 1080p screen you want far more capabilities than a faster cpu. If you are not technical enough for dual boot or virtual machine then you probably really do not need an i5 for $1000 dollars.
You can now get 13" 1080p ips screen chromebooks for $330 with the Toshiba Chromebook 2.
You can also very soon get a chromebook with a 15" 1080p ips with an i3 5005u (2.0ghz) or a broadwell celeron 3205u (1.5 ghz) made by acer. I have not seen the released prices for the ips and the i3 models but the crappy tn 768 panel with the celeron will be $249.
T1beriu - Wednesday, March 11, 2015 - link
The Pixel is so expensive because it's made in limited quantities. Its primary users are Chrome OS developers and Google employees, mainly the ones working on Chrome OS team. Google made this for itself and said "since we made this we can share it to our Chrome OS hardcore fans".When you make something in such a limited quantity you can't bring the research, development and manufacturing price down.
Roland00Address - Wednesday, March 11, 2015 - link
We call that an inefficiency of the market. As in wasted money. Sure you got a great product but it should not cost that much but it does for you limited your market share or you are competing in too highly competitive of a market that there is unneeded overlap.This is okay if your goal with the Pixel is to make a good device regardless of the cost, but if your goal is to make money then something needs to be changing. The Pixel will not make Google much if any money at a $999 price point for the lowest sku, let alone higher prices for more storage.
I am all for good build quality, but I actually want that technology to disperse into the market. If a perfect device only exists in a museum or if 85% of the 1st Chrome is used by Google Developers in house, or people who visited IO I call that a market failure. This technology needs to catch on in the general population, not just exist in theory but never actually really used.
wyvernknight - Wednesday, March 11, 2015 - link
I think the point of the product is just to keep Chrome OS development and adoption going until it becomes a more viable alternative to Windows and Mac.Michael Bay - Friday, March 13, 2015 - link
Web OS will never be a viable alternative to full standalone OS.And trying to drive adoption with expensive products only works if you`re Apple.
calden - Monday, June 1, 2015 - link
You actually have no idea what your talking about, read up on the impact ChromeBooks are now having on education. OS's like Chrome OS are the future, traditional desktops will be dead in under 10 years, it will all be be web based. If you don't see this than you better start reading. What do you think iOS is, it's basically Chrome OS, instead of downloading the programs UI every time you start an app, it's stored locally but the app still has to be connected to use it. Count how many apps on your tablet that you can use offline, your going to find that number a lot larger than you thought. Like it or not, this is the way things are heading.daniel142005 - Wednesday, March 11, 2015 - link
If $999 or $1299 is too much for you then the product probably wasn't targeted at you. Yeah, they build one hell of a laptop and Windows or anything would be better, but generally the developers that are able to afford one have money - they're software developers.calden - Monday, June 1, 2015 - link
They made the Pixel for developer's. Why did Apple make the new MacBook, as far as I'm concerned it's the most useless laptop I have ever seen but that didn't stop Apple creating it. This is a proof of concept, a snow case and are produced in limited numbers. No one is saying you have to buy one, I personally immensely enjoy mine but I know what's actually available online and the kind of web apps that are useful and their are a lot and growing. I'm a actually using Photoshop and soon Adobe will release their entire Creative Suite as a web app. Like it or this is the future of computing.bleh0 - Wednesday, March 11, 2015 - link
Sort of funny to see a Chromebook that actually better then a Macbook.ppi - Thursday, March 12, 2015 - link
With 32gb storage vs. 256gb? Not really. if you try to argue with CPU, at the intended workloads for these laptops, it does not matter.Henry Dorsett Case - Tuesday, March 24, 2015 - link
Storage has never been the barometer of how "good" a laptop is, and in 2015, it couldn't be further from the truth. Do I really need to point out how cloud storage is virtually unlimited? I think this Chromebook does look better than a Macbook.steven75 - Thursday, March 12, 2015 - link
Better if you value your privacy at zero, I guess.At least with Gmail they offered something the rest of the market didn't for that tradeoff!
calden - Monday, June 1, 2015 - link
Every company data mines, including Apple. Now with government surveillance being the way it is, if your online, someone is watching you, so this idea of privacy is archaic. Google also doesn't sell your data, this notion is completely false. What exactly do you have to hide anyway. I keep all of my personal data on local SD Card which is backed up to a old school Iomega Jazz Drive, everything else, who cares. I keep my online presence very G rated and never reveal anything outside of my name, occupation and location in the world. Things that can be easily found even if I didn't reveal it.bleh0 - Wednesday, March 11, 2015 - link
Sort of funny to see a Chromebook that actually better then a Macbook.bleh0 - Wednesday, March 11, 2015 - link
Sort of funny to see a Chromebook that actually better then a Macbook.bleh0 - Wednesday, March 11, 2015 - link
holy triple post batman...totally unintendedpiroroadkill - Wednesday, March 11, 2015 - link
Which i7? If it's one with Iris Pro, and that SSD can be replaced, then that's a nice, but overpriced machine. The Dell XPS 13 has this area tied up right now.kyuu - Wednesday, March 11, 2015 - link
Yeah, I can't see the appeal of this over an XPS 13. You can even get the XPS 13 with largely equivalent specs, asides from more storage but "only" a FHD screen, for $200 cheaper. If you hate Windows then I guess, but even then couldn't you load a Linux distro on the XPS?tyger11 - Wednesday, March 11, 2015 - link
If you upgrade the Pixel 2 to the i7 version, you get twice the RAM as the XPS 13, which is pretty weird.kyuu - Thursday, March 12, 2015 - link
Yeah, but what are you going to do on a Chromebook with 16GB of RAM? I mean you could have a *lot* of Chrome tabs open, I suppose...tuxRoller - Thursday, March 12, 2015 - link
The xps has issues with Linux, as I've read.The pixel will have perfect Linux support.
Assuming I can upgrade the ssd this device is a steal, IMHO.
ilkhan - Wednesday, March 11, 2015 - link
Any chance the SSD is a replaceable M.2 on this guy? If so I can stop looking for a new machine. Nice specs, good price.Novacius - Wednesday, March 11, 2015 - link
I don't know, but on the original Pixel, it was soldered on.chlamchowder - Wednesday, March 11, 2015 - link
It looks like a decent machine with a great screen but low storage. IMO it'd be more attractive with Linux/Windows and an external hard drive. You might even be able to run League or other not-so-demanding games on it.hammer256 - Wednesday, March 11, 2015 - link
Yeah, I guess as a halo device in limited quantities, this makes sense. Otherwise, it's pretty weird. Ultrabook price, ultrabook specs, not ultrabook storage, and not real OS. If this thing had 128GB on it I can imagine it as a really nice linux laptop, which I would totally get. I haven't bothered with linux on laptops since forever, even though it is what I use for everything else.pixelstuff - Wednesday, March 11, 2015 - link
It actually is a real OS. It is just intentionally limited to web hosted apps.Michael Bay - Friday, March 13, 2015 - link
So for all intents and purposes not real OS.Henry Dorsett Case - Tuesday, March 24, 2015 - link
If an average person can use it to do everything that they care to do on a computer, then what makes it "not a real OS?" The fact is, Chrome is the most forward-thinking OS available today. It IS a real OS, and in 10 years (maybe even 5), it will probably be the only real OS.nandnandnand - Wednesday, March 11, 2015 - link
I was about to whine about the SSD, but then I noticed the $300 price drop. The ports and SD card are nice too.tuxRoller - Thursday, March 12, 2015 - link
Is there any chance that the ssd can be upgraded post-purchase?Zizy - Thursday, March 12, 2015 - link
I like that you use kg for weight, a huge improvement over those pounds or whatever, but could you also switch to mm for dimensions please?As for the laptop, overpriced for a netbook. I presume it has 16GB ram because Chrome is such a memory hog. It would make a nice Linux/Windows machine, but I prefer XPS 13.
calden - Monday, June 1, 2015 - link
Chrome OS is more efficient with it's memory than OSX or Windows. 16GB is only available on the LS because it's the premium model, how did you come to asemption that the OS must have horrible memory issues. Let's face it, memory is cheap, every notebook should now come with at least 8GB of memory as standard with 16GB being the average. I find it appalling that companies like Apple even have 4GB models listed on their sites. It's okay for a tablet but a notebook, no.jabber - Thursday, March 12, 2015 - link
I'm still amazed after all these years that so many in the tech community still do not understand the reason and usage methodology of ChromeOS and it's hardware. Why have so many been living under a rock?Michael Bay - Friday, March 13, 2015 - link
It was said somewhere above in comments, but it bears repeating: only reason for ChromeOS existence is Google data mining.For every other task there is a better, much more functional and network agnostic solution.
Henry Dorsett Case - Tuesday, March 24, 2015 - link
That doesn't even make sense. Google doesn't need you to use their OS to get your data, they have reams of it already no matter what OS you use. You're beginning to sound shrill.calden - Monday, June 1, 2015 - link
I have no idea but it's actually making me kinf of upset reading this comments. Do people not know about web apps or better yet know how many really good ones are now out there. Microsoft has their entire Office suite online, Adobe is going to release theirs soon as well, Photoshop was just the start, check out AudioTools and than try to tell me that web apps can't co pare to desktop applications. I have completely moved my entire development environment to Codenvy, it's awesome and blows every other IDE I have encountered on the desktop for one major reason, corporative programming, my entire staff can log in and work on the same project without stepping on each others toes, it's amazing. I mean these comments are exactly the same ones I read two years ago, they just can't get over the old way of doing things with their computers. Well they better start learning because this is the direction all companies are headed. Why do you think Apple is spending millions on iCloud, what, just to be used as some sort secondary or backup tools. Nope, mark my words, Apple will be coming out with their own version of the Chromebook sooner than later. The new MacBook is paving the way for that futureValis - Thursday, March 12, 2015 - link
12.85" 2560x1700 IPS LCD? For 13 inch I'd settle with 1920x1200 and a lower price tag. TBH.Just my $0.01 (it used to be $0.02 but due to the recession, we've had to make cutbacks)