Google launches Chromebook Pixel, a $1 300 curiosity

Image of Chromebook Pixel

Image of Chromebook Pixel

It was rumored that Google would bring out another Chromebook, and it has. Google’s launched the Pixel, a US$1 300 laptop with a 12.85-inch display,  a 2560×1700 touchscreen, an i5 CPU and a free terabyte of cloud storage for three years, care of Google Drive. The price above is for WiFi only, lord knows how much the LTE version will cost.

Techcrunch reports that the Pixel will soon launch with LTE , and partnered with Verizon users will get an astonishing 100Mb a month for a two-year period. Pity there isn’t a sarcastic font for astonishing, as it’s a pathetic amount.

It’s all about the screen this time around, as it’s still a Chromebook at heart, albeit an exceptionally expensive one. The 239PPI screen looks exceptionally sharp and clear in the screenshots and videos, and even manages to trump the MacPro Retina Display, which is 220PPI. Google even boats that “it has the highest pixel density of any laptop display.” This means that the screen is not 16:10, but 3:2.

“There’s a set of users who are really committed to living completely in the cloud,” says Google VP Sundar Pichai (optimistically). Oddly, the LTE version will ship with a limited amount of internal memory, 64GB. The Wi-Fi version gets 32GB.

The touchscreen Gorilla Glass is a beauty and Google says that this will preserve picture quality, while still delivering “smooth interactions”. And it’s premium, the word is liberally tossed around throughout the press release. Premium “car door” design for the screen hinge, an industry leading aluminum body, a top-notch product meant for premium users. This is a premium device people. No budget need apply. “We also wanted to design something very premium for power users – people who spend money on their laptops,” says Google. So why not just spend the money on a decent laptop such as any other Ultrabook or a MacAir? Regardless, someone will buy it. Here’s the full rundown of the Pixel’s specs:

INPUTS
Gorilla® Glass multi-touch screen
Backlit Chrome keyboard
Fully clickable, etched-glass touchpad
HD Webcam 

SCREEN
12.85″ display with a 3:2 aspect ratio
2560 x 1700, at 239 PPI
400 nit screen
178° extra-wide viewing angle
 
DIMENSIONS
297.7 x 224.6 x 16.2 mm
3.35lb / 1.52kg
 
PORTS
2 x USB 2.0
mini-display port
2-in-1 card reader supporting: SD, MMC

INNARDS
Intel® Core™ i5 processor (Dual Core 1.8GHz)
Intel® HD Graphics 4000 (Integrated)

4 GB DDR3 RAM

32 GB solid state drive (64 GB for LTE model)
AUDIO
Headphone/microphone jack
Built-in microphone array
Integrated DSP for noise cancellation
Powerful speakers tuned for clarity
INDUSTRIAL DESIGN
Active cooling with no visible vents
Machined from anodized aluminum

ENERGY STAR® certified
 
BATTERY
Up to 5 hours of active use (59 Wh battery)
NETWORK
Dual-band WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n 2×2
Bluetooth® 3.0
OTHER FEATURES
One terabyte of Google Drive cloud storage, free for 3 years
12 free sessions of GoGo® Inflight Internet
100 MB/month for 2 years of mobile broadband from Verizon Wireless (LTE model). Carrier terms and conditions apply.

Users can order the Pixel from the Google Play store.

Steven Norris: grumpy curmudgeon
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