[PCWorld]

Post your comments for Hands on with Chromebook Pixel: Google goes after the MacBook here

[SElope]

It is a flagship product. It will do to the C7 acer chorome book, what Rolls Royce and Audi do to Volkswagen, or what Mercedes does to Smart. Looking at it, it is a really smart move by Google, and now they can slowly bring down the price, without hurting Acer, hp, Lenovo and Samsung.

If I had the money, I would go for it...Actually the 3:2 ratio screen is the best part of the machine: Who wants to work on portrait documents on a flat 16:9 screen? I really hope the 3:2 or at least the 4:3 ratio will arrive at the cheaper chromebooks.

[MarshallStaxxppib]

"Why is the Chromebook Pixel so expensive? Part of it might be due to all the little details that don’t show up on a spec sheet...

At a time when tech specs don’t mean the world to the ordinary user, these design flourishes can make a big difference."

Exactly.

That's why MacBook Airs and iPads flourish while Ultrabooks and Surface languish. Not that the latter are such bad products, but because they are built to specs that are of interest to PC geeks, instead of offering more immediately noticeable or practical attributes that appeal to a wider range of consumers.

Consumers at large don't care about Photoshop, Visual Studio, or increasingly even MS Office. That a device is capable of running those applications is of no advantage to them, and if it means a device that is more complex to set up or maintain, that capability turns into a net negative.

Instead of paying for potential "power" that will go seldom or never used, there are a good many consumers who would rather put that extra cash into a device with a better keyboard, better display, better ergonomics, and better build quality, things they notice and can quantify every time they use the device.

[colnago]

Again, just like apple lovers, google can do no wrong. Product is useless. If Microsoft came out with a laptop with just IE they would be lampooned, but Apple and google get a pass and always get reviews in their favor. Microsoft review would say don't buy. Kind of reminds me of the auto industry reviewers where foreign car companies can do no wrong but American car company gets killed just for one little pet peeve with car. They always emphasize the negative but never the positive, such is the case for Microsoft products. Its always but then negative. Google and Apple always but then positive. Lets face it if anybody really thinks the google glass is useful you need to wake up. Not a Microsoft fame boy but there products are allot more useful they they get credit for. What kills me is Microsoft still advertises on these websites. If I ran Microsoft I would sue for liability damages. I think people are starting to see the general hatred for Microsoft in reviews and the review is really not a true representative of the product. Will be interested to see the Apple and google fanboys battle it out with the reviews on these sites. What side to choose! Oh boy chooses, chooses.

[raooolq7ck]

ooo. ahh. purdee box with a web browser. for $1300?!?

[bawsor]

BUT who is STUPID enough to buy a $1,300 browser??


(unless you are hard-core Google fanboy like Jared Newman )

[JaredNewman]

Quote

BUT who is STUPID enough to buy a $1,300 browser?? (unless you are hard-core Google fanboy like Jared Newman )

Except I didn't buy one.

[JaredNewman]

Quote

Microsoft review would say don't buy.

So does this review.

[BoricuaX]

Quote

If Microsoft came out with a laptop with just IE they would be lampooned, but Apple and google get a pass and always get reviews in their favor. Microsoft review would say don't buy.

I do understand where you are coming from. However, I will say that I used to be a hard core fan of Microsoft, but now I am a Google one. Every now and then I will get nostalgic remembering how much I used to love Microsoft & will start to use their products only. This usually last about 3 days before I go back to Google. While I agree with you that there are a lot of reviews that play favorites with either Google or Apple (& the fact that a $1,300 chrombook is just stupid) the fact is that Microsoft got comfortable by being on top of the world and now is struggling to keep up. If Microsoft do a Explorer-9 laptop they will need to fix a lot of things that they are lacking in, which are the ones that make me go back every single time to Google. Yes, reviews are do play favorites with Google & Apple, but Microsoft has definitely lost the edge that it once had.

[olhe]

When running a companies pc's the big cost is not to buy the pc it self, it's to maintain them. So with Chromebook zero maintainence I can see a huge cost saving even in the Chromebook Pixel. Therefore do I believe that web apps combined with Chromebook (can be Firefox OS based computer as well) is the future.

[stet]

Google has more money than it knows what to do with, clearly. The Pixel and Goggles are merely rich boy posturings. It's puerile "we got there first" stuff. It's not who gets there first; it's how they get it right. The price tells you Google itself doesn't believe in the Pixel.

[JackNFranFarrell]

It's an IQ test the board of directors can give its CIO. When asked by the board" Why didn't you take the free Tbits for three years, allocate it among your reports and find out if we have to pay MS/Office $400/head for stuff only 5% of us use?"

[brainout]

Click here for Google's own explanation of the Chromebook. Linux folks report that it's hackable, that you can install full Linux on it (click here). That changes the game somewhat.

The free storage in the cloud could matter to someone on the go all the time, since the normal cost would be about $1800 for the three years. So it's like being paid to get the Chromebook, since the thing costs about $1,400 with allowance for taxes. Atop that, there is a minimalist bonus in the LTE version coverage of 100MB/month free from Verizon (very small, really), and 12 free sessions while in a plane. All that is covered in the first 'click here' link.

So if you are constantly travelling, and if you've a good hookup online all the time, and especially if cloud computing is what you need and use -- I can sorta see why someone would pay that much for a Chromebook.

If it will instead allow full Linux, then you could bypass its limitations, and happily use Firefox. (Chrome as a browser just doesn't cut it, though I use it also.)

Not my cup of tea, but certainly not a silly deal.

This post has been edited by brainout: 26 February 2013 - 12:06 PM

[DugueDesigns]

I have had the small Samsung chromebook for a couple weeks now. I have to say that I like it. It does very well what I expected it to do: Booting up in a few seconds and get me online. I like the design of this new one, too, but PLEASE Google, this is not worth 1,300 bucks. Sell it for $500, and I'll order one now.

[Sharon74]

Sounds gay..

[hysonmb]

I haven't seen anything yet that makes me think a Chromebook is nothing more than a netbook that boots straight into the browser and stays there.

After reading this review, it seems to me that buying the Pixel is like buying a work of art except it does something. It's more about the apperance than actual function.

Google talks about boot time - my Surface cold boots in 10 seconds. Sleep / resume is instant.
Touch capabilities- tap, swipe, zoom... cool but what about Wacom at that price? Can I draw on that screen?
Google Drive- 1TB is nice, but, they say "free for 3 years". What's the cost after that?

The other features they list on the site are accessible from any machine that can get on the net.

This is a remarkable looking computer with an impressive screen that does nothing special.

[PP720802]

conclusion:
the people who buy the ChromeBook,
Not only has to be rich,
But also has to be stupid.

[pjmjr]

Every time. I have witnessed a presentation by a Google employee, they are always carrying and using an Apple laptop. I will start taking Chromebooks seriously the day I see a Google employee using one to make a presentation on a topic other than a Chromebook demo.

[circleinsideabox]

Quote

BUT who is STUPID enough to buy a $1,300 browser?? (unless you are hard-core Google fanboy like Jared Newman )

me, because I can install a full linux distro on it

[MacNewton]

That fact that your can install full Linux on it, will make it a more desirable product to pickup when they (Google) releases Rev 2. After the discounts are applied the price should be under $600.00 (next year sometime).

If you can get a touch screen Linux laptop for $600.00 then go for it! I have a HP TouchPad I picked up for under $200.00 thats coming along very well.

(read)

The CyanogenMod team has released the first public build of Google Android for the HP TouchPad tablet. Right now the software is still in the alpha phase, which means that not everything works as it should. There are still bugs with the Bluetooth, camera, and other functions, for instance. But for the most part, the operating system is now up and running on HP’s discontinued tablet and anyone can install it. - See more at: http://liliputing.co...h.CkN97zkv.dpuf running