Hands-On With Google's MacBook Air-Style Pixelbook Go

[Khedron]

The main reason to own a laptop is the keyboard. Anything beats a MacBook until the new (old) keyboard comes out.

 

[falainber]

Good thing people in the industry don't have such a crappy attitude as you. Oh, and thanks for playing right into my hand.

Everything we do on our devices today was at one point out of reach to all except companies with deep pockets. In the 80's it would cost you $150K to do a fraction of what Photoshop does today (Quantel Paintbox). Non-linear editors were ridiculously expensive (also over $100K) and today a smartphone can do more. Literally every useful feature we have on our current computing devices trickled down from previously unaffordable computing hardware.

Imagine if all those developers and hardware engineers thought like you and said that "insert feature here" should only be done on servers or workstations? What a horrible world we'd be in. Thankfully, they have vision (unlike you) and because of their vision we're doing all sorts of amazing things on our mobile devices.


As to your ridiculous list, it's what I expected. You can't find any high-end Apps on Android (and I'm sure you looked) so you tried to deflect to the 10 most commonly used Apps, not the actual 10 best Apps. You know what's on the list of most popular Windows programs? Solitaire and Minesweeper. Not because they're amazing but because pretty much everyone with a PC has played them at one time or another. So you bringing up simple/popular Apps like Facebook does nothing to counter my point than me saying it doesn't matter if professional high-end software exists on Windows when all people do is browse the Internet or play Solitaire or Minesweeper.

The most popular Apps run great on iOS or Android devices. If that's all you want to do (the basics) the Android is just as good as iOS. Where Android (and ChromeOS) fall apart is when you want to do more than just the basics. On iOS I have a choice. On Android/ChromeOS you don't - they simply don't exist.

Facebook, Instagram, and Chrome are not basics. It's what became our life. If Affinity disappeared from the App Store tomorrow, nobody would have noticed. If Facebook did the same... Also, from a technical standpoint, Facebook is a much more complex product than Affinity. Other sophisticated software, which is appropriate for mobile devices, are games and all major game titles come on both iOS and Android.

 

[realtuner]

Maybe he does - maybe he doesn't; what does the vast majority of computer users and purchasers have to do with writing code? Most programmers prefer Linux.

ChromeOS is the _easiest_ and safest (no need to mess with drivers and what not) gateway into Linux. It is a good alternative for those do not want to get into the closed Apple ecosystem or for those who are stuck programming on Windows machines.

Funny. In the same page you linked it shows that most professional developers use Windows (45.3%) followed by macOS (29.2%) and then Linux (25.3%).

Actual OS usage overall is around 80% Windows, 14% macOS and around 1.5% Linux or ChromeOS. So my statement about nobody using Linux is correct. Outside of developers, nobody bothers with it.

As to using a Chromebook, I have NEVER seen a developer use one to work on. I don't know why anyone coding for a living would use a device with such limited capabilities (compared to other laptops).


I always laugh when you criticize Linux and an army of defenders rushes in with their noises all out of joint.

 

[Khedron]

Watch the presenter's speech pattern completely collapse as he attempts to get out the words "I like the butterfly keyboard" with a straight face

2:45 in video

 

[realtuner]

Facebook, Instagram, and Chrome are not basics. It's what became our life. If Affinity disappeared from the App Store tomorrow, nobody would have noticed. If Facebook did the same... Also, from a technical standpoint, Facebook is a much more complex product than Affinity. Other sophisticated software, which is appropriate for mobile devices, are games and all major game titles come on both iOS and Android.

What if AutoCAD were to disappear from Windows tomorrow? Nobody would notice, right? Shows how flawed your logic is.

Facebook is more complex than Affinity? Thanks for the laugh. Keep telling yourself they are somehow complex if it makes you feel better about the inferiority of Android Apps compared to iOS.
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Watch the presenter's speech pattern completely collapse as he attempts to get out the words "I like the butterfly keyboard" with a straight face

2:45 in video

Up to your usual deflection tactics I see. Maybe you can get Antennagate or Bendgate in if you try really hard.

 

[Khedron]

Up to your usual deflection tactics I see. Maybe you can get Antennagate or Bendgate in if you try really hard.

I don't think you know what that word means.

I'm the one talking about the actual video this article is about. You're the one talking about Android phones and tablets for some reason.

 

[johannnn]

Somebody correct me if I’m wrong, but this thing is just a Chrome browser with a keyboard?

If that’s all you need, I think the entry iPad together with an external keyboard should be an even better solution.

 

[alien3dx]

Funny. In the same page you linked it shows that most professional developers use Windows (45.3%) followed by macOS (29.2%) and then Linux (25.3%).

Actual OS usage overall is around 80% Windows, 14% macOS and around 1.5% Linux or ChromeOS. So my statement about nobody using Linux is correct. Outside of developers, nobody bothers with it.

As to using a Chromebook, I have NEVER seen a developer use one to work on. I don't know why anyone coding for a living would use a device with such limited capabilities (compared to other laptops).


I always laugh when you criticize Linux and an army of defenders rushes in with their noises all out of joint.

for me , i prefer mac to code. Mac not perfect like linux but at least i can compile nuget,brew,pakager without a lot hassle.Linux best for server app hosting only for me.
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Somebody correct me if I’m wrong, but this thing is just a Chrome browser with a keyboard?

If that’s all you need, I think the entry iPad together with an external keyboard should be an even better solution.

thats why i need the file managemnt work flawless .haish not working now.I got camera adapter 3 ,keyboard wireless,mouse just for my ipad mini 2019.

 

[Marshall73]

This laptop may not make the most sense for consumers, but it’ll be fantastic for businesses. For employees on the business / engineering / retail side, who don’t need to use Adobe, this is a far cheaper choice that Apple, far more reliable choice than PC, and still hits the mark on battery life, keyboard, trackpad, etc.

the only people buying chromebooks in the UK are old folk And stupid people who are preyed upon by PCworld/curry’s employees. Then they get home and realise that it is rubbish and the stupid employee who bought one for work gets laughed at by the company IT department and sent back to the shop to buy a proper computer.

 

[Shanghaichica]

the only people buying chromebooks in the UK are old folk And stupid people who are preyed upon by PCworld/curry’s employees. Then they get home and realise that it is rubbish and the stupid employee who bought one for work gets laughed at by the company IT department and sent back to the shop to buy a proper computer.

I bought a chromebook in 2013 before they were being marketed. At the time I was doing a degree. I had a windows laptop but ended up using the chromebook for the next 2 years until I finished the degree. It was good enough and I found I didn’t need the windows laptop. Not everyone needs to do video and photo editing. For many people browsing the net, checking social media, online shopping/banking and simple document creation is all they need from a computer. A chromebook can provide all of those.

 

[apolloa]

It’s a confusing product, the chrome book, it’s a nice design, has lots of power with decent Intel CPU’s, yet it only seems to run its built in apps?

I don’t know maybe it can run android apps too? In which case this is the future off Apple computers you are seeing...

 

[Shanghaichica]

It’s a confusing product, the chrome book, it’s a nice design, has lots of power with decent Intel CPU’s, yet it only seems to run its built in apps?

I don’t know maybe it can run android apps too? In which case this is the future off Apple computers you are seeing...

They do run android apps.

 

[apolloa]

They do run android apps.

I suppose that’s something, seems like a waste of Core Intel processor power then.

 

[gr8hii]

Different strokes for different folks.

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

They do run android apps.

Aren't most Android apps designed for a phone screen? How does an app that it meant to run portrait mode on a phone look on a landscape laptop screen? Sounds like a huge compromise.

 

[justperry]

Sponsor...CleanmyMac...MR....really, your joking right.

I know sponsors are needed but can you get any lower than this.

Macs do NOT need cleaning software, macOS is capable of running for years (actually decades) without third party cleaning programs.

Who would choose a Chromebook over the slightly more expensive Air, added bonus, it runs on an OS that does not track you the whole time.

 

[ZipZap]

Why would they choose a surface that shows fingerprints. That pretty disgusting. Not to say Apple hasn't had its share of fingerprint nightmares. Its it really that hard to engineer fingerprint free surfaces?

 

[zachlegomaniac]

Got my 2019 air for about 75$ more. Sidecar makes that money worth it alone for me.

 

[alien3dx]

I suppose that’s something, seems like a waste of Core Intel processor power then.

but the main point the operating system work with arm and intel proc. Would be someday osx like that? ..

My imac 2017 cannot run perfectly fortnight and while ipad mini 2019 can play fortnight smooth .Are my imac 2017 is junk ?

The main point android good on cooling the proc both way while my amd laptop freakin high temp til 85 which now i return again a6 9225. 350 dollar junk compare to smooth ipad mini 2019 which similiar price .

 

[Shanghaichica]

Aren't most Android apps designed for a phone screen? How does an app that it meant to run portrait mode on a phone look on a landscape laptop screen? Sounds like a huge compromise.

I have no idea how they run on a chrome book because I haven’t used one since 2015. I guess they would just be blown up for the bigger display like they are on tablets.

 

[realtuner]

Why would they choose a surface that shows fingerprints. That pretty disgusting. Not to say Apple hasn't had its share of fingerprint nightmares. Its it really that hard to engineer fingerprint free surfaces?

It doesn’t have a touchscreen so why should you be worried about fingerprints?
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Aren't most Android apps designed for a phone screen? How does an app that it meant to run portrait mode on a phone look on a landscape laptop screen? Sounds like a huge compromise.

Yes they are. Developers can modify Android Apps to work better on a Chromebook. If they don’t then it’s hit & miss whether your App will run without issues.

 

[apolloa]

but the main point the operating system work with arm and intel proc. Would be someday osx like that? ..

My imac 2017 cannot run perfectly fortnight and while ipad mini 2019 can play fortnight smooth .Are my imac 2017 is junk ?

The main point android good on cooling the proc both way while my amd laptop freakin high temp til 85 which now i return again a6 9225. 350 dollar junk compare to smooth ipad mini 2019 which similiar price .

Yes the iMac is junk if it’s the smaller model, because Apple cheaped out by fitting low low low end graphics cards in them, plus your computer runs a different version of Fortnite then your iPad does and the one on your iPad will be highly optimised for it.
So I’m afraid your analogy isn’t very good in this instance.

It’s a waste of power to run a Chrome Book.
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Aren't most Android apps designed for a phone screen? How does an app that it meant to run portrait mode on a phone look on a landscape laptop screen? Sounds like a huge compromise.

No, this is a common myth as Android since day 1 has been able to scale apps for smaller to bigger screens, you only need one app to run on any device. If you want to use that extra space then of course you’d have to make a separate tablet app like on Apples iOS devices.

 

[sgtaylor5]

I know exactly what Linux is used for. Hence my comment about Linux being irrelevant for normal consumers.

I'd second that. Many years ago, I was running a certain Linux distribution, and I found a bug in the PDF reader. I was told on their forum to become a programmer, learn Linux and fix it myself.

EDIT: Chromebooks have their niche, and for customers in that niche, they're great. But a MacBook and Chromebook can't be compared with each other. It's the software, not the hardware, that is the differentiator between them. For the life of me, I don't see why that isn't seen by reviewers.

 

[dantroline]

If you aren't a developer or a gamer or a couple of other very specific vertical users...what exactly do you need a 'computer' for? If you're not ensnarled in the Apple ecosystem, what do you need a MacOS computer for? I write code all day, every day on a MBPro ... but at home, ChromeOS is my jam. My kids use them at their school, my retired parents use theirs...as much as it pains me to say this...they just work. We all have iPhones but move our pictures to Google Photos, I have an AppleTV but occasionally watch Netflix and Hulu on my Chromebook... There just isn't a lot of things that don't run in a browser these days...

This exactly. My kids also have Chromebooks, the battery lasts 2-3 days for their usage patterns (Asus), they are built tough and if they break, who cares, I can buy 4 Chromebooks for the price of a MacBook.

 

[alien3dx]

Yes the iMac is junk if it’s the smaller model, because Apple cheaped out by fitting low low low end graphics cards in them, plus your computer runs a different version of Fortnite then your iPad does and the one on your iPad will be highly optimised for it.
So I’m afraid your analogy isn’t very good in this instance.

It’s a waste of power to run a Chrome Book.
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No, this is a common myth but Android since day 1 has been able to scale apps for smaller to bigger screens, you only need one app to run on any device. If you want to use that extra space then of course you’d have to make a separate tablet app like on Apples iOS devices.

the anology is simple. android can use both arm and intel proc.Will osx do same thing. .Even xcode just simulator not emulator