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pawxpaw

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Oct 4, 2019
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After 25 years exclusively using apple computers and phones since the iPhone 3g I just bought my first non-apple computer since the 90s. I got the base model pixel book go, and my first day or so with it is showing that it is amazing.


I’ve been using a 2018 mac mini with basically the highest spec for the last year or so and it's great, but I needed a new laptop as my wife now has my 2010 MacBook pro which is still running perfectly after changing to an SSD a couple years back. I did also have a 2015 MBP for a while, but the display failed with dead pixels in the middle a few times and I simply lost trust in it so went back to my 2010.

I bought a 2019 MBP and it was terrible. the horrible keyboard developed problems after 3 days, and I didn't like it before that. the 2010 mbp is a better machine in basically every single way, except it's a little heavier. but for normal day to day tasks the 2019 did nothing better and was a lot worse in many ways.

I was waiting for the rumoured MBP replacement in October, but I simply cannot wait any longer. and with Apple seeming to care only about profit, not making awesome machines anymore I thought it was worth trying something new. The mac mini is the only machine I could justify buying from apple for the last 5 years or so. mainly due to the ability to use my own display and keyboard/mouse.

the pixelbook Go is amazing, the keyboard is 10x better than the newer MBP. it's the best mobile keyboard I’ve ever used. so far it is screaming fast for everything I need when out and about. I will keep the mac mini as I like the daskeybooard pro and high end benq monitor. but for everyday tasks the chromebook is perfect.

I'm not a big fan of google, and don't plan to use much of their services. I’ve put office 365 on the chromebook and outlook for email. but the pixelbook is a quality machine. it reminds me of how macs used to be, like when they booted up from cold in 10 seconds and updates took 5 minutes, not an hour or more. macOS is so bloated compared to 10 years ago, and for my needs hasn't bought much that actually benefits me. the chromeos is a refreshing step back to simple computing.

Physically the pixelbook is perfect. it feels solid, super portable but very ergonomically correct to use comfortably. And being instant and silent in everything it does is very refreshing after using MBP. the battery life is out of this world, I bet I can go a week without charging it a lot of the time. Set up is simple and it's pretty easy to figure out the differences from macOS.

So far, I would honestly say the pixelbook deserves 10/10. its only downside was the price compared to other chromebooks, but I was willing to pay for the build quality and keyboard. cheaper chromebooks certainly feel cheap in comparison. I’ve also got a price guarantee form the store until January, so if it comes on sale for black Friday or boxing day, they will honour those prices.

If like me you are tired of apple's offerings in macs recently, I’d definitely recommend taking a look at one.. I can honestly see in the future being able to just use a chromebook as my only computer. sure it won't work for everyone, but for my needs it's perfect, and it is certainly the perfect companion to my high end mac mini.
 
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ChromeOS is great.... I've previously had the Chromebook Pixel LTE (2013) the Chromebook Pixel LS (2015) and the Pixelbook (2017).. I actually still have my Pixelbook and in honor of this thread booted it up and am typing this response on it now..

The Go is a nice machine and I might snag the i5 / 16 when it drops in a few weeks.. I think a large majority of people would get by just fine on a Chromebook... If all someone does is web, email and office tasks then ChromeOS is stellar!

I rarely edit video nor need more than a Chromebook can handle but even if I do, you can load Linux up on it and use many of the Linux apps to accomplish what ChromeOS can't...

I have not used my Pixelbook in several months so thanks for this thread as It got me to drag it out, boot it and update it...

I really am digging it again and might just keep rocking it for a while now that it's out and updated@!
 
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ChromeOS is great.... I've previously had the Chromebook Pixel LTE (2013) the Chromebook Pixel LS (2015) and the Pixelbook (2017).. I actually still have my Pixelbook and in honor of this thread booted it up and am typing this response on it now..

The Go is a nice machine and I might snag the i5 / 16 when it drops in a few weeks.. I think a large majority of people would get by just fine on a Chromebook... If all someone does is web, email and office tasks then ChromeOS is stellar!

I rarely edit video nor need more than a Chromebook can handle but even if I do, you can load Linux up on it and use many of the Linux apps to accomplish what ChromeOS can't...

I have not used my Pixelbook in several months so thanks for this thread as It got me to drag it out, boot it and update it...

I really am digging it again and might just keep rocking it for a while now that it's out and updated@!
best buy has the i5 in store right now. i played around on that one and the M3 side by side and couldn't tell the difference, i had multiple videos playing, 50 tabs, basically anything i could to make it slow and it simply didn't. for $270 difference i couldn't see the point, especially when chromeos runs perfectly on the $200 chromebooks with considerably less power.
the biggest appeal would have been the 128gb storage. but a high end samsung SSD usb c 500gb drive is only about $70, so if i ever need more storage that would cover it. but honestly i can't see why i would. its mainly for documents etc that take little space.

for everyday tasks i think i would rather keep this than if you gave me a 2019 MBP for free. this is simply a better machine.

if it comes on sale and i get a bunch of money back too it will be even better. my wife has already said when the 2010 MBP pro dies she can't see why the Go wouldn't work for her too, all her client software is web based anyway so will be perfect for taking to meet clients.
 
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Can you run an Octane test on that m3?


My 7th gen i5 Pixelbook gets about 30K so I am curious what the m3 pulls in. My guess would be about 23K which would be well above average for ChromeOS..

Yes Octane is dead but it's still a good gauge...
 
Can you run an Octane test on that m3?


My 7th gen i5 Pixelbook gets about 30K so I am curious what the m3 pulls in. My guess would be about 23K which would be well above average for ChromeOS..

Yes Octane is dead but it's still a good gauge...
just over 29k.

i wish i'd known about that and i could of run the test at best buy yesterday on the i5...

my only issue I've faced so far is I don't know how to transfer my saved passwords from my iPhone or mac to the pixelbook. i have to keep going into keychain to copy out the big long auto generated passwords from all my log ins.
 
29K on the m3? WOW, that's impressive..... I would have guess 22K or 23K so 29K is stellar!

You should be able to export your keychain passwords then import them into Chrome..
 
29K on the m3? WOW, that's impressive..... I would have guess 22K or 23K so 29K is stellar!

You should be able to export your keychain passwords then import them into Chrome..
all the reviews i could find were of the i5 models, but lots of the comments had people saying they tried the m3 and i5 and the m3 was just fine so they went with that one and were very happy. and so far i agree.

probably the hardest working thing ill do is netflix at full screen so i can't see me ever needing much more.
 
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all the reviews i could find were of the i5 models, but lots of the comments had people saying they tried the m3 and i5 and the m3 was just fine so they went with that one and were very happy. and so far i agree.

probably the hardest working thing ill do is netflix at full screen so i can't see me ever needing much more.
I'll grab the 16GB RAM version when it's out on the 18th I think as I'll run Linux on it as well.. My Pixelbook with 8GB RAM does fine for the most part but when I push it, I find myself needing / wanting more RAM.

I am an oddball though as most (98%) will never need more than 8GB RAM on ChromeOS...

I am a huge fan of ChromeOS. Instant boot, instant updates, no worries about malware or viruses...
 
I'll grab the 16GB RAM version when it's out on the 18th I think as I'll run Linux on it as well.. My Pixelbook with 8GB RAM does fine for the most part but when I push it, I find myself needing / wanting more RAM.

I am an oddball though as most (98%) will never need more than 8GB RAM on ChromeOS...

I am a huge fan of ChromeOS. Instant boot, instant updates, no worries about malware or viruses...
if I ever need more power I've got the mac mini at home, but honestly i normally just buy higher end computers not because i need the power, but simply so they last longer.. i know the kids at school are running chromeos just fine on their basic models, so I'm hoping for many years of happy use from this higher end one.
 
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if I ever need more power I've got the mac mini at home, but honestly i normally just buy higher end computers not because i need the power, but simply so they last longer.. i know the kids at school are running chromeos just fine on their basic models, so I'm hoping for many years of happy use from this higher end one.
I played with the m3 in Best Buy last week a little but they had it locked down in demo mode.. I did observe the matte black does not attract nor show fingerprint smudges with is nice considering it's black...

My only real gripes on the new Go is the lack of a fingerprint reader and the change to a 16:9 aspect ratio.. I am a fan of 16:10 or the what old Chromebook Pixel and Pixelbook had which was 3:2....
 
Went to BB tonight and played around again with the m3 version and yup, 29K octane on the m3.... Impressive!

I ordered the i5 / 16GB RAM / 128GB SSD version while in store.. Supposedly available to ship on the 16th but they didn't have the option of in store pick up so it will ship to my home address....

Screenshot-2019-11-08-at-21-12-51.jpg
 
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Went to BB tonight and played around again with the m3 version and yup, 29K octane on the m3.... Impressive!

I ordered the i5 / 16GB RAM / 128GB SSD version while in store.. Supposedly available to ship on the 16th but they didn't have the option of in store pick up so it will ship to my home address....

Screenshot-2019-11-08-at-21-12-51.jpg
I'm sure you'll like it.
the sound is very impressive too, watching full screen movies is a joy. I think reviewers simply have a bias against them who say the screen is bad, i find it very similar to the retina MBP. but a lot friendlier to use as even on your lap it doesn't get hot.
When you consider the 12" MacBook is well over double the price the value of this becomes apparent.
 
I'm sure you'll like it.
the sound is very impressive too, watching full screen movies is a joy. I think reviewers simply have a bias against them who say the screen is bad, i find it very similar to the retina MBP. but a lot friendlier to use as even on your lap it doesn't get hot.
When you consider the 12" MacBook is well over double the price the value of this becomes apparent.
ChromeOS has a lot of haters.... I've endured them and their comments since the 1st Chromebook Pixel came out in 2013.... ChromeOS has came a long ways since then as now it's easy to run android apps and you can even run a somewhat limited version of Linux right out of the box.

1080p screen do not bother me on a 13" machine... For those who want a 4K screen, Google has one coming for the Go but it's $$$$..... The Go I played with at BB tonight was the m3 with the 1080p screen and it looked fine. Brighness looks to be about 380-400 nit which is plenty bright enough..

The KB was stellar! I love the KB on the Pixelbook and the Go is just as good.... Trackpad was smooth and similar to the Pixelbook, just larger on the Go...

I don't really use my machines for movies or video. I mainly surf the web, email, office type docs ect.. That's probably why I prefer 3:2 aspect ratios over 16:9..

I prefer the look and aspect ratio of the Pixelbook over the Go but I'm a sucker for a new Google Chromebook so I ordered it...

I'll probably sell my Pixelbook once the Go arrives but a quick glance at swappa says they are not getting much on resale..
 
ChromeOS has a lot of haters.... I've endured them and their comments since the 1st Chromebook Pixel came out in 2013.... ChromeOS has came a long ways since then as now it's easy to run android apps and you can even run a somewhat limited version of Linux right out of the box.

1080p screen do not bother me on a 13" machine... For those who want a 4K screen, Google has one coming for the Go but it's $$$$..... The Go I played with at BB tonight was the m3 with the 1080p screen and it looked fine. Brighness looks to be about 380-400 nit which is plenty bright enough..

The KB was stellar! I love the KB on the Pixelbook and the Go is just as good.... Trackpad was smooth and similar to the Pixelbook, just larger on the Go...

I don't really use my machines for movies or video. I mainly surf the web, email, office type docs ect.. That's probably why I prefer 3:2 aspect ratios over 16:9..

I prefer the look and aspect ratio of the Pixelbook over the Go but I'm a sucker for a new Google Chromebook so I ordered it...

I'll probably sell my Pixelbook once the Go arrives but a quick glance at swappa says they are not getting much on resale..
i don't do much for movies either, but ive cut my phone down to the bare essentials, so if i'm ever out and about and killing time i may watch some netflix or something. i mainly just wanted to give it a try to see how the pixelbook performed. for a media consumption device it is glorious.

i find the screen very bright, certainly much brighter than my 2010 MBP. i run it at less than half brightness in a bright room in my house. at full brightness i actually find it too bright to comfortably use.

my use is similar to yours, and microsoft office seems just fine on it so with that and the web I'm 99% covered. i don't do social media or anything, so I've installed very few apps and likely never will.

I bet by the time my mac mini is old and tired a chromebook will cover everything I need. about the only thing i think it completely can't do that I regularly need my desktop to do is convert library ebooks to kindle compatible format using calibre. and my wife manages all the photos on the desktop too, basically iPhoto.
I'm finding my requirements are becoming more simple over time, not more complex. a computer is simply a tool for me, not a hobby.
 
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@pawxpaw How is the matte black holding out print smudge wise?

I am OCD and hate looking at a machine that looks like a hot gooey print smudge mess.. I was watching some videos today day and some looked bad, smudge wise....

The one I played with in store was fine but that could also be the lighting or maybe they had just cleaned it...
 
@pawxpaw How is the matte black holding out print smudge wise?

I am OCD and hate looking at a machine that looks like a hot gooey print smudge mess.. I was watching some videos today day and some looked bad, smudge wise....

The one I played with in store was fine but that could also be the lighting or maybe they had just cleaned it...
it's great. barely a mark. much better than my MacBook pros..
 
im waiting to check these out too but damn the wait seems brutal for an 8th gen intel.
I don't understand you? You mean you expected a newer generation than 8th? Or you mean the pre order time is too long?

if the former, personally I don't care which processor it has. This machine is perfect for me.
There is literally nothing I don't like about it. It does everything super fast with no lag at all. startup is basically instant.
I picked it up last thursday, so almost 6 days of using it and I havent even had to upack the charger yet. Ive watched movies. done all my emails and a lot of web browsing on it. Done my invoices, and it's still going strong with a few hours battery life remaining.
I love that it is silent, and stays cool.

I am now very sure when my mac mini dies I could get by with just this pixelbook.. once I'm done a few things in life that make the desktop computer nice I may even just sell the mac mini. So maybe another year or so before I'm done a few projects that make it more useful just for the large screen, but maybe i'll just try linking the pixelbook to a USB hub with hdmi etc to connect it up like a desktop.

not that apple will care, but with their crappy keyboards and refusal to make a small phone they might lose me and all my family as customers from now on. if the mbp had a useable keyboard i would never have looked at this.
 
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that's awesome, paw. i really want one. I meant the wait for the 16gb version seems like its too long for a computer without any new parts to source. i just want it now! =)
 
After 25 years exclusively using apple computers and phones since the iPhone 3g I just bought my first non-apple computer since the 90s. I got the base model pixel book go, and my first day or so with it is showing that it is amazing.


I’ve been using a 2018 mac mini with basically the highest spec for the last year or so and it's great, but I needed a new laptop as my wife now has my 2010 MacBook pro which is still running perfectly after changing to an SSD a couple years back. I did also have a 2015 MBP for a while, but the display failed with dead pixels in the middle a few times and I simply lost trust in it so went back to my 2010.

I bought a 2019 MBP and it was terrible. the horrible keyboard developed problems after 3 days, and I didn't like it before that. the 2010 mbp is a better machine in basically every single way, except it's a little heavier. but for normal day to day tasks the 2019 did nothing better and was a lot worse in many ways.

I was waiting for the rumoured MBP replacement in October, but I simply cannot wait any longer. and with Apple seeming to care only about profit, not making awesome machines anymore I thought it was worth trying something new. The mac mini is the only machine I could justify buying from apple for the last 5 years or so. mainly due to the ability to use my own display and keyboard/mouse.

the pixelbook Go is amazing, the keyboard is 10x better than the newer MBP. it's the best mobile keyboard I’ve ever used. so far it is screaming fast for everything I need when out and about. I will keep the mac mini as I like the daskeybooard pro and high end benq monitor. but for everyday tasks the chromebook is perfect.

I'm not a big fan of google, and don't plan to use much of their services. I’ve put office 365 on the chromebook and outlook for email. but the pixelbook is a quality machine. it reminds me of how macs used to be, like when they booted up from cold in 10 seconds and updates took 5 minutes, not an hour or more. macOS is so bloated compared to 10 years ago, and for my needs hasn't bought much that actually benefits me. the chromeos is a refreshing step back to simple computing.

Physically the pixelbook is perfect. it feels solid, super portable but very ergonomically correct to use comfortably. And being instant and silent in everything it does is very refreshing after using MBP. the battery life is out of this world, I bet I can go a week without charging it a lot of the time. Set up is simple and it's pretty easy to figure out the differences from macOS.

So far, I would honestly say the pixelbook deserves 10/10. its only downside was the price compared to other chromebooks, but I was willing to pay for the build quality and keyboard. cheaper chromebooks certainly feel cheap in comparison. I’ve also got a price guarantee form the store until January, so if it comes on sale for black Friday or boxing day, they will honour those prices.

If like me you are tired of apple's offerings in macs recently, I’d definitely recommend taking a look at one.. I can honestly see in the future being able to just use a chromebook as my only computer. sure it won't work for everyone, but for my needs it's perfect, and it is certainly the perfect companion to my high end mac mini.

Congrats!

I thought I'd post a few of my tips and tricks here to help you and others get even more out of your Pixelbook Go...


I'm a big fan of Chromebooks and the Pixelbook in particular.

BREAKING OUT OF THE BROWSER BOX....

One of the great things about Chrome OS is the ease of making a website look and feel like a standalone application. Although many sites also provide standalone apps that present content in a custom way, they often don't provide all of the features available when visiting the website directly. (Facebook is a perfect example)

Here's how I create web apps on my Pixelbook for sites that I regularly visit... (SimpleNote is the example, these steps work for any Chromebook)

STEP 1. Load the site in Chrome
STEP 2. Click on the "hamburger" -> More tools... -> Create Shortcut...
(click on images to enlarge)
Create Shortcut.png

at this point, a new icon appears in Shelf...

STEP 3. Right-click on the shortcut -> click on the "twistie" -> select "New Window"
Open as Window.png

That's it! Click on the icon in the shelf and it'll launch in a separate window.
Shortcut Opened as a Window.png

I find that this helps me to use my Chromebooks as more "traditional" laptops and can easily snap apps into a side-by-side multitasking.

I also install the Open-as-Popup Chrome extension so that I can switch any existing tab in the browser to be a standalone window without the browser controls.

I've set up shortcuts for the MS Office web apps. The look and feel is that very similar to the desktop versions. I ended up uninstalling the Android versions since they are so severely limited in functionality. I did the same for the web version of iWork... Here's Pages on the web. Whether I need to work with Office, iWork, or Google Docs files, I can easily do it on a chromebook with only the occasional need to do that work on my iMac.

Pages for web.png



LINUX Apps....
For those who want to tinker around with Linux apps using a software center, here's a great article:
https://chromeunboxed.com/news/installing-gnome-software-center-chrome-os-linux-crostini

In a nutshell, after activating Linux on your Pixelbook, open a Linux terminal window (the icon will appear when Linux is activated), and enter the following commands:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade
sudo apt-get install gnome-software gnome-packagekit

This is what the software center looks like:
software center.png

This is a nice graphical way to install Linux apps. But not all apps are in the Software Center. I had to install LibreOffice manually, from a Linux terminal window:
sudo apt-get install libreoffice

Here's a screenshot of it in action... (just a quick load of an Excel file in LO)
Screenshot 2019-01-16 at 11.06.51 AM.png

Performance of LibreOffice is quite stunning. Super quick and responsive. Almost makes me want to wipe the whole PB out and just install my favorite Linux distro on it.... almost. :D

WINDOWS APPS...
Lifehacker has an article on Crossover... the tool used (for now) for running Windows apps on a chromebook.

https://lifehacker.com/how-to-run-a-windows-app-on-a-chromebook-1829716989
 
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I decided to give the Pixelbook Go a try. Have one on order. How is everyone liking theirs so far?
Any advice or suggestions for a newby to the Chrome Book world?
Thanks
 
I decided to give the Pixelbook Go a try. Have one on order. How is everyone liking theirs so far?
Any advice or suggestions for a newby to the Chrome Book world?
Thanks
still love mine. i use it most days and it last about a week for me before i need to worry about charging.
i did download the outlook app to manage all my email addresses, but found it kind of poor, so instead i just pinned the web versions of my emails as apps and they work way better.

as soon as i figure out a couple of minor things such as photos and downloading books from the library to my kindle that I use a programme called Calibre forI think i'll get rid of my mac mini altogether. I think i'm done with apple. the pixelbook is simply better than any mac for my needs.
 
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