Google Has No Plans For More Pixel Notebooks

[MacRumors]

Google has ended production of its Pixel laptop, which originally aimed to compete with Apple's MacBook Air.

During a small meeting with journalists today at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Google's senior vice president for hardware Rick Osterlohthe responded to a question about future Pixel notebooks, saying the company has "no plans to do one right now".

According to TechCrunch, he added that versions already on the market have totally sold out and there are no plans to make any more of them. However, Osterlohthe was quick to clarify that he was not referring to the notebooks' operating system, ChromeOS.

"Chrome OS is a huge initiative in the company," Osterloh said. "Google hasn't backed away from laptops. We have the number two market share in the U.S. and U.K. -- but we have no plans for Google-branded laptops."

Google's Chromebook was the first device to carry the Pixel name, which has since been adopted by the tech giant's latest range of branded smartphones. The original Pixel laptops were launched in 2013 and were notable for their integrated hardware - which included a touchscreen - and their premium design appeal, but the web-only operating system only ran Chrome browser and a handful of other cloud-based apps, and prices started at $1,299.

The second version of the Pixel Chromebook launched in 2015 and cost $999. It was one of the first laptops to feature USB-C along with Apple's 12-inch Retina MacBook, but saw limited uptake due to the restrictive OS and prohibitive cost. Other third-party Chromebooks sell for as little as $250.

There's no cast-iron guarantee that Google won't launch any more branded laptops, but it seems the company wants to keep the Pixel name for its phones going forward, the only caveat being Google's Pixel C tablet, which it still sells.

Article Link: Google Has No Plans For More Pixel Notebooks

 

[willmtaylor]

"It's odd that folks didn't want to fork over $1,000+ for a Google-branded web-based laptop."

-No One Ever​

 

[_Refurbished_]

I guess I'm going to have to settle for really well equipped $300 - $500 Chromebooks. The horror!

 

[Spectrum]

My folks recently bought a £300 aluminium ChromeBook to use alongside a 2009 13 inch Macbook. I'm not sure of the manufacturer. I have to say, the build of the machine is very good, and the OS seems rather nice. Quite "Apple-like". Amazed what a modest sum of money can buy.

By contrast, I just bought a 15" £900 Dell Inspiron for to run some Windows-only software, and it is bloody awful. I quite literally hate it.

 

[adamneer]

I'm SHOCKED that Google would produce an expensive piece of hardware for such a limited amount of time. Let me find my glasses so I can read this again...

 

[pgiguere1]

Well they were horribly overpriced.

And I don't just mean that in the "It doesn't make sense to have such a limited OS on high-end hardware" kind of way. It was horribly overpriced hardware for its specs regardless of the OS those laptops ran.

You could literally buy a rMBP and set Chrome to open in full screen at launch and it'd be a much better deal...

 

[Rogifan]

The only point of the Pixel laptop was to get tech writers like at the Verge to oogle it and write stories about how Apple isn't the only one who can do premium design. Nothing more than a vanity excercise.

 

[MarcoB]

If you don't have sales you don't have a product and you end up with no market.

That is why I still buy MacBooks, they sell well and have market. Beside that, I love my MacBook Pro 15" (Touch Bar Edition).

 

[nfl46]

This is not shocking. Google may be a fun company to work for, but they have the attention span of a 5-year old when it comes to their devices. Instead of improving it year after year, they completely axe it and start on something new. Smh. The pixel was a solid device, it'd be nice to get a Pixel 2.

 

[oldmacs]

Chromebooks work best as low end education devices, where they're absolutely killing Apple. They don't work so much as expensive high end devices.

 

[djcerla]

Our Lady of Transitory Endeavors did it again!

 

[BC2009]

The only point of the Pixel laptop was to get tech writers like at the Verge to oogle it and write stories about how Apple isn't the only one who can do premium design. Nothing more than a vanity excercise.

And The Verge is silent on the news of the Chromebook Pixel being cancelled. Isn't it weird how they totally hype everything Google does when Google announces it and then they downplay or outright ignore when these Google "game changer" projects utterly fail? Google Glass? Project Ara? How about every Nexus (and now Pixel) phone getting branded as Google's "REAL first attempt" to design a phone themselves to take on the iPhone -- as if the previous iterations were "practice shots" and didn't count.

"The Verge" could be rebranded as "Google PR".

 

[dannys1]

I'm surprised these didn't get the support of Steve Troughton Smith on Twitter complaining about how they only needed to do Y and Z to replace his macOS operating system all together...
[doublepost=1488460513][/doublepost]

"The Verge" could be rebranded as "Google PR".

And yet you get all the Google fans calling them iVerge. I guess they must be doing something right.

 

[navaira]

Our Lady of Transitory Endeavors did it again!

Hello MacDailyNews. Are you enjoying your new Thunderbolt Display, latest version of Aperture and Airport?

 

[arthography]

Hello MacDailyNews. Are you enjoying your new Thunderbolt Display, latest version of Aperture and Airport?

I'll give you the TB display (which was on the market for 5 years) but Aperture still works. Airport, meh it was just a fancy router so it's not essential (I mourned it though - I got one AirPort Extreme).

 

[Sasparilla]

This is a bit of a bummer, since they were about the same price as the one port Macbook and showed Apple could have given us a better premium low end laptop...

Well they were horribly overpriced...It was horribly overpriced hardware for its specs regardless of the OS those laptops ran.

You could literally buy a rMBP and set Chrome to open in full screen at launch and it'd be a much better deal...

I thought the Pixel's were about the same price as the one USB port MacBook (not the MacBookPro) - yeah around $1,000.00, the super duper nice one was $1,200.00. And in comparison to our one port wonder, they seemed pretty good from a hardware perspective, better CPU's, more USB ports, card reader etc.. Put OS X on it and I would have easily chosen it over Apple's one port MacBook.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/201...is-still-lovely-hardware-with-limited-appeal/

Guessing Google did this from a control / branding perspective (it happened after the Motorola phone guy took control of the entire hardware side of things for them), presumably to leave the "old" laptop behind...as the Pixel-C tablet was panned on its release in comparison (not long after the Gen 2 Pixel laptop was released)...and sales of the high end Pixel laptop were good enough they updated it as this was Generation 2. I never had a Chromebook (being a Mac user) but followed what Google did in this space with interest.

And The Verge is silent on the news of the Chromebook Pixel being cancelled. Isn't it weird how they totally hype everything Google does when Google announces it and then they downplay or outright ignore when these Google "game changer" projects utterly fail?..."The Verge" could be rebranded as "Google PR".

Um,

http://www.theverge.com/2017/2/28/14764838/google-pixel-chromebook-laptops-officially-dead

 

[satchmo]

Apple and Google are such contrasts.
Google throws darts at a wall to see what sticks, while Apple only lauches products when they're ready for prime time.

I can't help but wonder if these two approaches are a generational thing. Apple grew up in an age of secrecy and more traditional product development. Google is certainly more open and from this current era of iterative and quick prototyping.

Although I see both camps, moving away from their set ways and become more like the other.

 

[naeS1Sean]

This makes me a little sad. I love a super high quality products that almost disregard price for quality. What would the world be without Steinways.

 

[willmtaylor]

Apple and Google are such contrasts.
Google throws darts at a wall to see what sticks, while Apple only lauches products when they're ready for prime time.

I can't help but wonder if these two approaches are a generational thing. Apple grew up in an age of secrecy and more traditional product development. Google is certainly more open and from this current era of iterative and quick prototyping.

Although I see both camps, moving away from their set ways and become more like the other.

"Darts" is one word for it. "****" is probably a better one.

 

[Rogifan]

I'm surprised these didn't get the support of Steve Troughton Smith on Twitter complaining about how they only needed to do Y and Z to replace his macOS operating system all together...
[doublepost=1488460513][/doublepost]

And yet you get all the Google fans calling them iVerge. I guess they must be doing something right.

Nah The Verge is all about clickbait. Like their story about how this new Samsung stylus is 5,000 times better than the Apple Pencil all because it looks like a real pencil. But Nilay Patel has said there's nothing wrong with click bait so not surprising really.
[doublepost=1488463191][/doublepost]

And The Verge is silent on the news of the Chromebook Pixel being cancelled. Isn't it weird how they totally hype everything Google does when Google announces it and then they downplay or outright ignore when these Google "game changer" projects utterly fail? Google Glass? Project Ara? How about every Nexus (and now Pixel) phone getting branded as Google's "REAL first attempt" to design a phone themselves to take on the iPhone -- as if the previous iterations were "practice shots" and didn't count.

"The Verge" could be rebranded as "Google PR".

The Verge is obsessed with metal. Nothing to them is premium unless it's made out of metal. Of course they loved the Pixel because it was Google and it was made out of metal.

 

[willmtaylor]

Nah The Verge is all about clickbait. Like their story about how this new Samsung stylus is 5,000 times better than the Apple Pencil all because it looks like a real pencil. But Nilay Patel has said there's nothing wrong with click bait so not surprising really.
[doublepost=1488463191][/doublepost]
The Verge is obsessed with metal. Nothing to them is premium unless it's made out of metal. Of course they loved the Pixel because it was Google and it was made out of metal.

Hence Mr. Patel's controversial studded bracelet.

 

[joueboy]

Typical Google they bring something new overhype everything about the product, then charge premium. Yeah we heard it before and this is not the last one. It's a Google thing get media excited so we talk about them. Unfortunate this is Google and it works all the time. They need to stay relevant just like holywood they need that attention every time.

 

[Abazigal]

No surprise there. Chromebooks really only make sense in cheaper, lower end hardware where anemic specs may not let you run windows smoothly.

Once the specs become good enough, why would anyone want to run a dedicated chrome browser over a laptop which can run chrome and other apps?

 

[willmtaylor]

No surprise there. Chromebooks really only make sense in cheaper, lower end hardware where anemic specs may not let you run windows smoothly.

Once the specs become good enough, why would anyone want to run a dedicated chrome browser over a laptop which can run chrome and other apps?

So you can give Google not only your personal info for targeted advertising but also your money for hardware! It's win-win (for Google, not the consumer, of course).

 

[dannys1]

Nah The Verge is all about clickbait. Like their story about how this new Samsung stylus is 5,000 times better than the Apple Pencil all because it looks like a real pencil. But Nilay Patel has said there's nothing wrong with click bait so not surprising really.
[doublepost=1488463191][/doublepost]
The Verge is obsessed with metal. Nothing to them is premium unless it's made out of metal. Of course they loved the Pixel because it was Google and it was made out of metal.

Haha I saw that one - I thought it was going to be based on some kind of stat Samsung had given out about pressure sensitivity or something, but no - it was just a joke.