It has been rumoured for many weeks. Leaked advert, touchscreen features added to Chrome OS and code directly referencing the “Link” device. Today, Google has finally released the Chromebook Pixel, Google’s first Chromebook.
Chromebooks have been around since 2011, but this is the first time Google is releasing their own Chrome device. The Chromebook Pixel is a premium laptop, which they claim is designed to support power users who are fully in the cloud.
The Pixel’s standout feature is its Gorilla Glass-covered touchscreen display. While it’s the first Chrome device with a touchscreen, its main highlight is the display. It is the highest screen density display ever used on a laptop.
With a screen size of 12.85 inches and a resolution of 2560×1700, it’s aiming directly at the MacBook Pro with Retina Display.
It is a very sleek design, using Apple’s unibody-like construction. It’s a very premium product. The design is finished off with backlit chiclet keyboard, glass touchpad, impressive speakers, noise cancelling microphone and an HD camera.
Under the hood, you’ll find the speediest Chromebook ever, featuring a 1.8Ghz Dual Core Intel i5 CPU, Intel HD 4000 graphics chip, 4GB RAM and 32 or 64GB SSD. Connectivity options include dual-band 802.11n WiFi and Bluetooth 3.0. The usually array of ports include two USB 2.0 jacks, Mini DisplayPort, headphone jack and an SD card slot.
With such a high-spec premium Chrome device, comes a high price. The WiFi-only 32GB Pixel costs $1,299/£1,049 and is available today. A WiFi/LTE model with 64GB is set to arrive in April priced at $1,449. Google has also thrown in 1TB of Google Drive storage for 3 years – something that would usually cost $1799.64.
While Chrome devices have usually been low-cost secondary computers, Google has certainly aimed this device at the high-end of the market to combat Apple’s Macbook Air and Microsoft’s Surface RT devices. It will be very interesting to see if this device will pay off or if the price is too high for consumers.
