PIXELBOOK GO: A CHROMEBOOK FOR THE REST OF US
As you may know, Google announced the newest member of the Pixelbook family yesterday, the Pixelbook Go. The tech media is having a field day over this wonky playful design, lack of pen support, and the fact that it’s an affordable, budget, Chromebook for the masses!
Of course Google is hoping this model will see much broader consumer adoption, obviously they want to sell this thing, and in marketing, it must have pushed the word “affordable” in the talking points given that they literally said it in the presentation, and in their blog posts, and everyone is mentioning it. It’s on the higher end of consumer affordable laptops though, so here is the business side of things, and why we should be paying attention.
Like Google has been doing for years with their Android phones, and Microsoft has been doing with the Surface line, they are using internal device development to push the envelope of what is not only possible but also what super sexy and premium devices look like. That’s the easy strategy to see. The other side of the coin is that Google is building the devices their massive internal teams and their biggest customers actually want to use.
You can see the strategy broken down into 4 distinct types of workers which they showed us at Next19 back in April:
FIRST IN THE FAMILY, WE HAVE THE PIXELBOOK: MADE FOR LEADERS AND INFORMATION WORKERS
It’s incredible. I have one, it gets commented on all the time, 2 years in it’s still not only crazy powerful but possibly the best Chromebook experience available. Other competitors are finally offering similarly awesome high-end Chromebooks, but it’s taken them 2 years to do so, and Google likely won’t release a proper Pixelbook successor for another year or two. BUT. Think beyond that. Think about who it’s for. The Pixelbook is loved by developers for its 3:2 aspect ratio, as well as people who do a ton of writing and reading long-form content which is better viewed on a taller screen, ie execs and information workers. Personally I am less of a fan and would prefer the classic 16:9 ratio which is where the Pixelbook Go come in but more on that later.
NEXT, WE HAVE THE PIXEL SLATE: MADE FOR CUSTOMER-FACING AND CREATIVE TEAMS
Designed around a tablet form factor, we got narrower bezels, and removable keyboard options. Another beautiful design from Google's product teams, and created with creatives and people who want to impress in mind, we got a Google version of the way many of us have enjoyed using iPads and Microsoft Surfaces for years. But, just like the Pixelbook, we still have a 12.3 inch screen with a 3:2 aspect ratio.
FINALLY, WE HAVE THE PIXELBOOK GO: DESIGNED FOR THE REST OF US
Interestingly the above slide is also from Google Next19 back in April, and the Pixelbook Go was only announced yesterday. The Chromebook in the image looks like a Pixel Slate, but obviously they were teasing us. The Chromebook Go is designed like a standard laptop, but has a modern refined design, which lets be honest looks like the original Google prototype CR-48 had a baby with a Macbook. That being said, it’s exactly what I want in a laptop. It’s got an incredible keyboard, a large glass trackpad, bright screen, and options for an i5, or if you want to get really crazy an i7 and a 4k screen. I will be going for the i5 16GB Ram option personally, which should run excellently for the next several years.
Folks might be joking around about the ribbed for pleasure bottom grip on this thing, but have you ever noticed how slippery the Pixelbook is? I totally get it.
This rounds out Google’s strategy of empowering the modern worker with premium hardware at a few different levels, which should keep most people happy for a while. I do wonder what’s next, likely an even cheaper throwaway model, possibly a military spec model, who knows!
My last point brings us full circle back to the fact that the Pixelbook Go is an affordable laptop. Starting at $650 with an M3 and 8GB of RAM is plenty powerful for most people, and is a much easier sell for the midsize market. Combine this with the great single pane of glass Chrome Enterprise Management, and you have an easy to deploy and manage device which has a much lower overall cost over time. $1k does not seem like a lot of money for a laptop, but for those of us with smaller budgets, a $650 laptop that is built really well and made to last is always welcome. Of course, there are other options out there, but for this price point, size, and design, I think its an excellent option.