Google Unveils the New Chromebook Pixel, Powered by 5th Gen Intel Core Processors

I don't keep up with the laptop industry much, but why would you need an i5 or i7 in a Chromebook? I thought those things were $200 disposable laptops?

Isn't the whole point of being a chromebook is to be an inexpensive ''cloud'' device?

damn, you aren't going to be [H]ardcore gaming on this thing, but it will play LoL rofl

cageymaru said:

I don't keep up with the laptop industry much, but why would you need an i5 or i7 in a Chromebook? I thought those things were $200 disposable laptops?

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Chromebook has now become a brand just like Thinkpad, Macbook, i5, etc so they are expanding the offerings to cover the widest range of consumer needs

kbrickley said:

Chromebook has now become a brand just like Thinkpad, Macbook, i5, etc so they are expanding the offerings to cover the widest range of consumer needs

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This isn't new but an update from the Pixel that launched two years ago. Other than the CPU and ports not a lot has changed.

FiveFig said:

damn, you aren't going to be [H]ardcore gaming on this thing, but it will play LoL rofl

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Except you won't....because League only installs on Windows and OSX natively?

is anyone actually buying those things?

astroboy said:

is anyone actually buying those things?

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These are primarily used by Google and close partners I read somewhere. They only expect 15% of production to go out to the open market. I think Google understands that this isn't a consumer or education market device at the price and treats is accordingly.

Wow so there are still folks out there that don't know how ChromeOS and Chromebooks work.

Amazing.

I wouldn't say no if I had £800+ sitting around.

daglesj said:

Wow so there are still folks out there that don't know how ChromeOS and Chromebooks work.

Amazing.

I wouldn't say no if I had £800+ sitting around.

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My understanding of them is that they are cloud managed web browsers that eschew local storage for the cloud with some ability now to run Android apps. There's not a lot to them locally which is why they are easy to deploy and manage compared to local storage centric OSes like Windows.

heatlesssun said:

My understanding of them is that they are cloud managed web browsers that eschew local storage for the cloud with some ability now to run Android apps. There's not a lot to them locally which is why they are easy to deploy and manage compared to local storage centric OSes like Windows.

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Yep and they just work out of the box.

If it gets messed up press the reset button on the bottom and log back in.

If you lose it or it breaks just buy another and log back in.

Great stuff. I enjoy using my 11" Samsung. Beats the old netbook.

The thing about this Chromebook, is it seems like it is practically DESIGNED to be hacked and have a regular Linux distro put on it. Then it would be a pretty sweet machine actually.

For what its worth, this seems like a better path than the new MacBook / MacBook Air. However, I have to wonder why it isn't using at LEAST Intel Iris / if not Iris Pro graphics? Couple of other little issues... no 1080p camera at least? Likewise, 3x3 wireless AC? It must be an oversight to have the USB TypeC connector at 5gbps - that's the same as normal USB 3.0! I thought TypeC was 3.1 and thus WAY faster? Over all, I like the idea of USB 3.1 Type C , but I wonder of A) the cost of all the adapters necessary for varying tasks. and B) if it can be daisy-chained properly? Most devices only have a single TypeC port, which isn't going to work well as the standard expands and people have more devices to connect. Nice that it works for "super-charging" too though.

I'm none too fond of purchasing a "chromebook" to be used as intended, simply because of Google/privacy issues. However, it looks like something like this could easily have Linux installed upon it. I really do wish that they'd use this same level of aesthetic/material/feature design and put some effort into the GPU. These models should at very least (like the new Macs) include Iris / Iris Pro graphic I'd think, but moreover I'd like to see a model with a proper latest-gen discrete gaming GPU. We're finally seeing more quality/luxury laptops come about... but providing a slightly thicker version with a mid-high discrete GPU would be nice to see.

If they could ever get this down to the 500-600 dollar price point, I'd buy it. Otherwise, there's not much point in my eyes over just paying for a windows device aside from better battery life.


They can drop the cpu down to a fifth gen i3. Ending specs ~

-i3 5th gen
-8GB ram
-64GB internal storage
-Same high res display - perhaps sans the touchscreen
-same casing and ports and motherboard and keyboard
-same battery capacity


The ram and storage can't cost more than 50-60 dollars can it? The i3 would be expensive, as would the display, but couldn't they get this machine under 600 dollars?


They sell 15" i3 machines for 300 dollars, so there is 300 dollars to play with to improve the:

-display
-battery
-casing/keyboard/backlight

Is that so impossible?

Xaeos said:

I'm none too fond of purchasing a "chromebook" to be used as intended, simply because of Google/privacy issues

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What objective risks do you see from Google's policies?

I realize It's super totes popular to copy/paste the "Google spyware" POV, but I've never actually read anyone say what outcomes they're concerned about. Just seems like a bunch of principles and soapboxes.

I really don't see the point of these Chromebooks..

If you have to question it then it's not for you. Chromebook Pixel is designed for the evolved cloud centric user demanding top notch combination of hardware, security, performance and battery life. Read up on the reviews claiming performance such as browsing is faster than the fastest Macbook at nearly twice the cost and battery life of 14 hours. And, it's designed properly with USB type C connector on each side plus traditional USB ports.