Google’s Chromebook X leak sends mixed messages

[ad_1]

By some measures, Android is the most used operating system in the world. And Google accomplished this feat of dominance in less than 10 years, thanks to smart choices during a fundamental shift in the nature of human communication. And the Nexus and Pixel lines, while not as dominant as other Android manufacturers like Samsung or Xiaomi, are a big part of that story. So why can’t Google stick landing on any hardware besides phones?

Some context. A recent report from 9to5Google claims that Google is preparing a big push for its Chromebook laptops later this year, introducing the “Chromebook X” label as a clear indication of higher-end models. It’s similar to Dell’s XPS line or Intel’s Evo certification, a way for consumers to quickly and easily distinguish a more powerful premium Chromebook from the broad swathes of budget hardware ChromeOS usually appears on.

According to the leaks, Chromebook X branding would be featured on both hardware and software, with minimum specs for memory, quality screens and webcams, and next-generation processors from AMD and Intel (Zen 2+ or Core 12th generation at most). old) . Extra features in the operating system itself, such as time-shifting wallpapers, will add some pizzazz to the experience. While the price range for this new sub-brand isn’t exactly set in stone, 9to5Google estimates it would start around $400 and go up.

There’s just one catch: There’s no indication that Google will actually make this hardware.

Problems with pixelbooks

It’s no surprise. Google has been fairly firm in its statement that it is out of the laptop business (and the adjacent high-end tablet business, for that matter). The last official Google product running ChromeOS was the Pixel Slate, a competitor to the iPad Pro and Surface lines that was considered a flop even among Google fans.

Before that, the Pixelbook Go was well received, but too expensive compared to other similarly capable Chromebooks. “Too expensive” is a familiar descriptor for non-phone Google hardware, as the same label has been applied to the much more premium Pixelbook and the original Chromebook Pixel, going all the way back to 2013.

Google hasn’t made a premium laptop since the Pixelbook in 2017.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

But while these laptops were tiny in terms of actual market share, they loom large in ChromeOS’ short history as a platform. That’s because they’re flagships, Google’s attempt to show both consumers and manufacturers what ChromeOS is capable of when actually investing design cuts into the hardware, not just slapping the (mostly) open source OS on cheap hardware. Even the Pixel Slate, flop as it was, proved that Chrome can primarily run on a touch-based interface. Without it, I doubt we’d have great hybrid tablet gadgets like the Lenovo Chromebook Duet.

Google needs a halo product

And it’s not that Google needs this lesson. Samsung, and probably Apple, were pushed to higher levels of hardware just based on the existence of the Pixel phone line. Google’s mobile cameras are some of the best in the business, demonstrating the importance of image processing over simply packing in as many megapixels as possible. Microsoft’s Surface line is its halo product (no pun intended), demonstrating the latest and greatest features in Windows and the direction Microsoft sees the physical design of tablets and laptops going.

Higher-end Chromebook hardware, like Samsung’s Galaxy Chromebook, can work. Samsung / Amazon

Chromebook X makes sense as a brand boost right now. Despite being on the market for more than a decade and some high-end offerings like the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook, Chromebooks are still largely seen as budget-only options for users who don’t need the power or capacity. But Google is trying to do away with that perception, even going so far as to offer “gaming” Chromebooks that can run Steam. And there are some premium models on the market, even though “premium” means “up to about $1,000” in this context.

Google

But if Google really wants to sell the idea that Chromebooks can be more than a fleet of machines for schools and cheap “browser in a box” laptops, it needs to go back to the hardware itself, as it did recently with the Pixel Tablet. for Android tablets. Nothing says “I’m ready to expand my horizons” like showing it in pure hardware. Sadly, Google’s recent post-pandemic push for cost-cutting is likely why it will ameliorate the risk of this brand push by placing it on the shoulders of third-party manufacturers. So as much as I’d love to see a true return of the Pixelbook, I’m not holding my breath.

[ad_2]