Google Announces Chromebook Pixel
Google announced yesterday their new laptop: Chromebook Pixel in an ambitious attempt at the high-end market and will feature a high resolution touch screen. Talking on Thursday, the head of Chrome, Sundar Pichai had this to say:
“This is about power users. Some of them buy Mac, some buy Windows 8. We wanted to make sure Chrome OS is in that segment . . . This is the future – high resolution and touchscreen, and we’re behind in the laptop world . . . We want to push the ecosystem and web development forward, so this can be thought of as a reference device, in the same way as the Nexus, that will inspire a whole new generation of devices.”
Chromebook Pixel to challenge Apple
The most impressive feature of the Pixel is its high resolution touchscreen, which boasts 239 pixels per inch (PPI). Apple’s Macbook Air by comparison has 220 PPI, though some experts say that the human eye wont be able to notice a difference at this point.
Possibly this is a case of style over substance, as the device certainly looks nice. Everything has been streamlined; the air vents have been hidden, as have the screw fittings and speakers. Even the Chrome branding has been subtly placed on the hinge. However, as is with all of Google’s Chromebooks, it requires a constant internet connection in order to do everything it is meant to.
Although Google are quick to point out the growing number of applications that can be used offline, you get the feeling that for £1049 ($1450 LTE Version) you should be getting a little bit more for you money. For that kind of money you shouldn’t have to download an app that let’s you create a document offline, or use WordPad.
The Pixel Duel-Core Intel Core i5 processor running at 1.8Ghz and will come in two models: 32 or 64gb. It also comes with a rather handy 1 terabyte of free Google Drive storage.
This is an ambitious play by Google, but I get the feeling that it will be limited by connectivity issues. Certainly, sometime in the near future, when internet connection is ubiquitous, this kind of device will be popular. Until that time, however, I reckon your money is better spent elsewhere. Like on a Macbook.