Apple's iPad Pro vs. Google's Pixelbook

[MacRumors]

Back in October, Google released the Google Pixelbook, a portable laptop/tablet hybrid machine that runs Chrome OS. We got our hands on one of the Pixelbooks from Google, and we decided to pit it against the iPad Pro, Apple's tablet that's powerful enough to serve as a PC replacement.

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Priced starting at $999, the Pixelbook is more expensive than even the largest iPad Pro. Apple charges $649 for the entry-level 10.5-inch iPad Pro and $799 for the entry-level 12.9-inch iPad Pro.

For $999, the Pixelbook comes equipped with a 7th-generation Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB RAM, and a 128GB SSD, with all of the components upgradeable for a higher price tag. It has a 12.3-inch touchscreen display, putting it on par with Apple's larger iPad Pro, and it offers 10 hours of battery life.

The Pixelbook is just as portable as the iPad Pro, and it has the benefit of a 2-in-1 design with a 360-degree rotating hinge, which means it can be used as a traditional laptop or folded back for use as a tablet, complete with accompanying pen. As a laptop, the Pixelbook is on par with other ultraportable notebooks, but as a tablet, its keyboard is adding some extra thickness you won't see on the iPad Pro.

Though convertibility is a nice feature and wins out over the traditional tablet form factor, Google can't quite compete with Apple when it comes to software and performance due to issues with some unoptimized Android apps running on the Pixelbook. The iPad Pro's A10X Fusion chip is incredibly speedy, and optimizations like Metal 2 mean apps run super fast and super smooth on Apple's tablet.

The Pixelbook isn't slow by any means, and ChromeOS does offer increased security much like iOS, but the Pixelbook's high price tag, operating system limitations, and size are tough to swallow compared to the lower-priced and just-as-capable iPad Pro.

Article Link: Apple's iPad Pro vs. Google's Pixelbook

 

[justperry]

Isn't ChromeOS useless without internet?

 

[Amaze]

Isn't ChromeOS useless without internet?

ChromeOS maybe (have not used); but Pixelbook runs Android apps also.

Still think the iPad Pro and it`s ecosystem is far superior though..

 

[Ds6778]

I don’t really see the audience for the Pixelbook. Sure, it’s an interesting device, but I don’t see the average consumer plunking $1K for it.

 

[bobob]

The Pixelbook is just as portable as the iPad Pro...

What is the basis of this statement?

The Pixelbook weighs 2.4 lbs and has a volume of 39.67 cu.in.

The 12.9" iPad Pro weighs 1.49 lbs and has a volume of 28.12 cu.in.

 

[Michael Goff]

Isn't ChromeOS useless without internet?

That hasn’t been true for a long time.

 

[370zulu]

"the Pixelbook comes equipped with a 7th-generation Intel Core i5 processor"

Does it come with a complimentary Intel CPU flaw as well?

 

[NIKKG]

For the prices these companies are charging for a half-baked PC, might as well just get the real thing like a Surface Pro or its clones like a Dell or HP.

I had the Ipad Pro 10.5 for a week, it did nothing better than my regular iPad that costed $250 on sale at Microcenter, so I'm like what kinda fool am I to pay another $500 just to have a stylus, thus I returned it.

Basically, if you want a real computer, than go get a real PC and stop playing around fooling yourself into thinking the iPad Pro or ChromeOS is a real computer, its not. If you want an iPad for reading or playing games, than save yourself alot of money and get you the regular iPad. I've seen the 32GB version go on sale for $250 many times during the holiday and its plenty fast (until the crooks at Apple slows it down so they can force you to buy a new one).

 

[Spectrum]

Why is this on the "News" feed? And no offence intended (I recognise this is a free site!), but this is hardly a review of the two devices...
Wouldn't pieces like this be better placed on the MacRumors Blog page?

 

[krause734]

I can see a $200-300 Chromebook as useful for K-12 Students and a better value than a Macbook.
This Pixel just seems poorly thought out though and a hefty price tag. I've never been a fan of 2 in 1 functionality.

 

[MrX8503]

Can we just say how overpriced the Pixel Pen is? It's $99 and is significantly worse than the Apple Pencil.

 

[cmwade77]

Isn't ChromeOS useless without internet?

No, it has various offline modes, although it is definitely more useful with the internet, but by using tethering that is fairly easy to deal with virtually anywhere.

 

[justperry]

ChromeOS maybe (have not used); but Pixelbook runs Android apps also.

Still think the iPad Pro and it`s ecosystem is far superior though..

That hasn’t been true for a long time.

Thanks.
I (before) thought it was limited/useless without internet.

 

[sevvere]

Ugh ..... those bezels on the pixel book

I’ve thought here and there about buying this and putting Linux on it. At $699 i might, but $999 .... no way

 

[opeter]

If you can install Windows on it, it would be quite usable.

However the price tag is...

 

[justperry]

Can we just say how overpriced the Pixel Pen is? It's $99 and is significantly worse than the Apple Pencil.

So, you actually say Apple pencil is bad.

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

Why does ChromeOS use Intel's CPUs? I get that Windows and Mac OS use Intel because they want to maintain backwards compatibility, but ChromeOS's sibling OS is Android (meant for ARM) and it's not compatible with Windows or Mac OS. Seems like they could easily cut the cost by $50+ and improve performance at the same time by using ARM instead of Intel.

 

[The Game 161]

So much wasted space on the pixel book

Not a terrible first attempt though.

 

[cmwade77]

Can we just say how overpriced the Pixel Pen is? It's $99 and is significantly worse than the Apple Pencil.

Actually the pen is very nice and works quite well, even with AutoCAD through a remote desktop connection to a Windows system.

The iPad Pro could not accomplish the same level of low latency on the same WiFi network connected to the same remote system.

 

[djcerla]

Buggy as hell.

 

[cmwade77]

Why does ChromeOS use Intel's CPUs? I get that Windows and Mac OS use Intel because they want to maintain backwards compatibility, but ChromeOS's sibling OS is Android (meant for ARM) and it's not compatible with Windows or Mac OS. Seems like they could easily cut the cost by $50+ and improve performance at the same time by using ARM instead of Intel.

Because ChromeOS is intended for Intel chips and runs quite well on them. Additionally it leaves the possibility open to being able to install Windows, Linux, etc. on the perfectly capable system (or run from a bootable USB drive).

 

[Michael Goff]

Thanks.
I (before) thought it was limited/useless without internet.

No problem. It did use to be that way, but you can do so much on a Chromebook nowadays without a connection. It’s going to be more useful with a connection, but that’s everything in my opinion.

 

[cmwade77]

Buggy as hell.

My wife has one and we haven't found any bugs in the Pixelbook and I have even taxed it with AutoCAD through a remote desktop connection and connected to multiple monitors. Honestly the iPad Pro had massive lag with AutoCAD and couldn't connect to my two external monitors.

 

[DNichter]

I don't see the point. Android apps are pretty bad on a phone and even worse on a tablet. I couldn't imagine how bad they are stretched to this size. Chrome OS isn't viable as a good solution either.

 

[isotropic]

Without blinking - iPad all the way. So much better in every aspect. Most of importantly. My privacy doesn't get raped.