Google Introduces the Chromebook Pixel to Compete With the MacBook Air

[token787]

Pay for storage and price alone, they have to be joking.

[MacDav]

Originally Posted by Peace

Good grief why doesn't google just use a stock intro video from Apple.

Yeah that's what I thought after the first 10 seconds. They even have a Jony Ive semi look alike to narrate. If he had a british accent that would have been perfect. Oh well can't have everything.

[wingsabre]

I think the Chromebook is a horrible product, but I disagree with everyone who says this is a rip off of the Macbook pro design. You can only do so much with laptop designs because in the end of the day it's a slab of screen attached to a slab of keyboard. You could round down the edges, or whatever, but there's not much external things you could do with it. Plus extra tapering of edges to look different from the MBP could easily mean less battery life, and with 5 hours of battery life, I don't understand why they would do that. You have to see the internals to really say if it's a copycat or not, and even then it's based on the off the shelf hardware used.

This is a device that should compete with the Macbook air, Surface RT, or Ultrabooks. However, it has less function than all of it's competition, and is way too big for the "convenience" of limited function. In my opinion, the ideal chromebook has to be thinner and weight almost nothing compared to Android tablets as it offers even less capabilities.

[Blakjack]

Google is so Applie, that its a shame.

[MacDav]

Originally Posted by Estes

It really makes me wonder, how many people will actually buy this thinking they've made a great investment?

Plenty.

----------

Originally Posted by Blakjack

Google is so Applie, that its a shame.

Don't you mean pretending to be so Applie? They are really a wolf in sheep's clothing.

[Renzatic]

Originally Posted by MacDav

Plenty.

Quality is a relative thing. I think the 13" rMBP isn't worth the cash, even after the price drop, yet I'm not here arguing with people, calling them stupid for grabbing one for themselves. If they get everything they need out of it, then it's worth the money to them.

Same thing with this. If all someone wants is to guff around on the internet and access their Google Docs with a solidly built, high res screened machine, then it's worth the money to them. You might think it's a waste of money. I might think it's a waste of money. But if they get 5-6 years use out of it, and enjoy it, then it's a good investment for them.

[avanpelt]

Microsoft is likely going to fail with Surface and Google will fail with the Chromebook Pixel. They're opening the door wide open for Jony Ive to leapfrog Apple ahead again. I hope Apple takes advantage of this opportunity and innovates in a way the competition can't even fathom at present. Fingers crossed.

[MacDav]

Originally Posted by Saturn1217

I am a huge Google fan and use lots of their products.

I was checking this thread at work (where I couldn't watch the video) and saw all the criticisms about Google copying Apple and I was all like 'those Apple fanboys think everyone copies them'

And then I got home and watched the video. Dear god it is a bad parody! If this was April 1st I would honestly be expecting Google to come back later and say "just kidding guys. we know no one is going to buy a $1300 dollar laptop dedicated to web browsing with no storage and crappy battery life...gotcha!"

Seriously I think this was one of their side projects (because a high-res touchscreen chromebook is probably something they want to develop) and instead of just completely scrapping this current project they decided to sell however many prototypes they made because they had nothing better to do with them...

I hope the Android team works separately from the Chrome team...

You're an honest man. It's a rare quality these days.

[Arcady]

I can't think of any reason to buy this thing. I can run the Mac and Windows versions of Chrome on my MacBook Air, but it also runs things like MS Office and Photoshop just fine. Why would I pay for a whole laptop that just runs one program? Anyone who buys this thing has no clue.

[oplix]

This is the most epic fail in the history of Google.

[Eric E. Schmidt]

Originally Posted by Fatalbert

Widescreen is bad for web. Your trolling attempt hasn't really gone well.

i wasn't being sarcastic if that's what you think. the pixel is not widescreen, wonder why.

[Scarrus]

Seriously, not sure if Google is trolling or serious...

[adildacoolset]

Originally Posted by Renzatic

Though my biggest question is what will I be using ChromeOS for that requires a Core i5 processor? It's all just cloud and web browsing right now. If I'm gonna pay that much for a computer, I at least wanna run some games on it or something.

Precisely the reason why people are buying it. Really, even an iPad is a better device to buy. It can actually do more than the chrome book (has more apps and games to chose from), has also a retina-quality screen, and is much much cheaper. And if you fork over $900, you can get 128 GB of storage, and LTE as well.

And as for laptops, the 13" rMBP is $200 more expensive. But think about it, you get much more storage, and a fully fledged desktop OS which really takes advantage of the hardware. Not this cloud-based stuff.

[MacDav]

Originally Posted by Renzatic

Quality is a relative thing. I think the 13" rMBP isn't worth the cash, even after the price drop, yet I'm not here arguing with people, calling them stupid for grabbing one for themselves. If they get everything they need out of it, then it's worth the money to them.

Same thing with this. If all someone wants is to guff around on the internet and access their Google Docs with a solidly built, high res screened machine, then it's worth the money to them. You might think it's a waste of money. I might think it's a waste of money. But if they get 5-6 years use out of it, and enjoy it, then it's a good investment for them.

Ah...The theory of relativity...always good to fall back on. I think you are assuming that I was judging the poor souls who buy a "googlebook" to be inferior in some way to the rest of us Gods. This is not the case at all. We're all inferior/superior in some way. (Relativity strikes again).

[Miat]

64GB storage (maximum)
USB 2
5 hour battery life
$1450

What could possibly go wrong?

[nsayer]

http://www.roughlydrafted.com/wp-con...mage-1-3-2.jpg

'nuff said.

[Renzatic]

Originally Posted by adildacoolset

And as for laptops, the 13" rMBP is $200 more expensive. But think about it, you get much more storage, and a fully fledged desktop OS which really takes advantage of the hardware. Not this cloud-based stuff.

If you really want to nail the point home, a refurbed 13" rMBP only costs $60 more.

But you know, if the Pixel sold for about $799 with an LTE radio onboard, I'd consider it a pretty good buy. Not for me, but it'd be a great mom 'n pop computer.

[AdonisSMU]

Originally Posted by sseaton1971

The Pixel is certainly not for people who need to perform the tasks or run the apps you mentioned above. I think there is a market for Chromebooks, though, especially the cheaper ones. I think the price of this device coupled with the fact that it is basically just a beautiful Web browser will make it a hard sell. I certainly won't be buying one, but I also won't be buying any Chromebooks for personal use. I will stick with my MacBook Pro, since I need to occassionally transcode HD video and use Office and Photoshop often! I don't play WoW, though!

Im not convinced. The $250 browser didnt even sell. Why would a $1300 one?

[shoulin333]

2nd rate companies really need to stop copying Apple's style of introduction videos. They remove their own street creed.

[Digital Skunk]

I smell Palm Folio all over again.

I think Google headed in the wrong direction with this one. While I am intrigued by Chromebooks due to my love affair with Android and Google cloud services, the biggest draw is the price. At $1300 you REALLY are coming close to mid range ultrabook, full fledged laptop, and even 13" rMBP for a few hundred more. All of which are far and above a much better computing experience.

Again, the biggest draw to a Chromebook is price. This is like Apple selling a Retina MBP with Windows Vista.

Originally Posted by Renzatic

If you really want to nail the point home, a refurbed 13" rMBP only costs $60 more.

But you know, if the Pixel sold for about $799 with an LTE radio onboard, I'd consider it a pretty good buy. Not for me, but it'd be a great mom 'n pop computer.

Agreed! For me, the $250 would have made a nice kick around machine. Something to punch out a long doc or do some heavier lifting than my Note II could have done. It would've been nice to replace my iPad or something.

At $1300 . . . . . . whatever. I think we are beating a dead horse now.

Originally Posted by shoulin333

2nd rate companies really need to stop copying Apple's style of introduction videos. They remove their own street creed.

Google is far from being a 2nd rate company, especially considering what happend to Apple when they removed Maps from iOS (maps being just one of the many MANY services Google provides).

But I do agree. The promo wreaked of let's copy Apple so bad I kinda felt ashamed to watch it.

[elmaco]

Feel sorry for the guys who made it, nobody in their right mind would buy a "web browser" for that price. Epic fail.

[AdonisSMU]

Lets just throw spaghetti on the wall and see what sticks.

[Yamcha]

While I think the design on the notebook is beautiful & definitely a premium notebook, but where it fails is the watered down OS & price tag. As someone said early I'm very doubtful Chrome OS can even use some of the hardware to It's full extent.

Was the retina display even necessary? They should have opted for a notebook level display, especially since this a Web Browser based OS.. Not like you can truly take advantage of the high resolution..

Anyway, If the price was right this notebook could have sold very well. But at $1300 there are much better & faster notebooks out there.. I will be shocked If this sold well..

[ucfgrad93]

I don't see Google selling too many of these at those prices.

[Renzatic]

Originally Posted by Digital Skunk

Agreed! For me, the $250 would have made a nice kick around machine. Something to punch out a long doc or do some heavier lifting than my Note II could have done. It would've been nice to replace my iPad or something.

At $1300 . . . . . . whatever. I think we are beating a dead horse now.

$250 might be a little too low considering the screen, but...yeah...they could push that price down by quite a bit. First of all, the thing doesn't need an i5. It likely never will. They could've thrown an i3 in there, saved everyone a good 200-300 bucks, and no one would've been able to tell the difference.

Google missed the boat by not making this a high end of the budget line machine. Think about it. A computer with Apple's usual shine, that nice of a screen, all for under $800. That would've been a helluva thing. It'd be a Macbook Pro quality laptop for the less tech savvy crowd. Give it a good warranty, and it'd be a computer you just hand off to someone and not worry about for 4-5 years.

Right now though? The Pixel is a showcase device that can't really do anything with what they're showcasing. It's like having the fastest engine in the world strapped into a car that doesn't have any wheels.