Google Pixel

So Google announced the Pixel today… the punchline? New Chromebook for just $1300. You want to read some funny posts and see some funny images go check “The Verge” comments on the announcement story. Got that out of your system? Good. Now let us take a serious look at this. 

….Ok…. fine…. keep laughing. After all you just saw that there is a second version launching in a month or so for $1500 with a bit more storage (a whopping 64Gb instead of 32GB) and LTE. Laughter is understandable. You are talking about a category of device that has slowly carved out a niche as a super cheap option (sub $400, down to even $250). So how is Google honestly thinking they are going to sell Chrome books at this stratospheric price point? Well after you get over laughing you might consider that the $1300 purchase also comes with 1TB of Google drive space included for 3 years. At current prices that is an $1800 dollar value. And that is not a misprint. 1TB service for drive runs $49.99 per month. This is 1Tb service for 36 months. In other words, if Google drive space at the 1TB level is something you plan to have for the next three years then ordering a Google Pixel is a quick way to save $500 and get a super high rez (2560x1700 wowza), sexy aluminum build low hard drive capacity (32Gb) laptop for free. That should suppress some of the chuckles at least.

 By the way… it is not really dignified to be rolling around laughing on the floor like that… just saying...

 So if you are not laughing you might be asking why I think you should be. It is because that still leaves you with a 3.5 pound powerful intel i5 CPU 4GB RAM touchscreen 2560x1700 resolution laptop running Chrome OS with 32GB of storage. Translation: $1300 buys you a 1TB service for 36months and a pretty nifty paperweight unless you are a VERY casual computer user. If all you do is e-mail and browse for cute kitty pictures then last I checked g-mail storage was pretty sufficient for a large majority of folks in that category and they also don’t often care a whole lot about casing materials, screen hinges and screen resolutions. What exactly are casual users that Chrome is currently aimed at going to fill that 1TB of Google Drive storage up with? Now… load a touch enabled Ubuntu on there and plug in a largish SD card for additional onboard storage and you have a more interesting proposition. Whats that you say? A macbook air costs less with more storage? You are correct but I must once again raise that $1800 in freebie Google Drive service. Mac air ownership brings a paltry 5gb complementary iCloud service in comparison. How much would 1TB cost? Not currently an option. The top is 50GB at $100 a year… extrapolated it would be $2000 per year for 1TB of iCloud service, $6000 for 3 years of service. It would probably be cheaper if Apple actually offered it. Compare to Amazon Cloud 1TB service which is currently available for $500 per year it is available a bit cheaper than Google Drive offerings, but that is in the right ballpark for a quality cloud service in this range. In any case this included Google Drive service for the Pixel is not to be sneezed at. But the market for 1TB cloud service is still pretty weak at the average consumer level. Mostly I think this ahead of its time.

 Suffice it to say the pixel is Google’s declaration of what they view the future of computing to be and lets just say it isn’t centered around local storage. It is not meant to be a huge seller by most accounts. It is simply there to demonstrate their vision and commitment to that vision. Bringing this level of technology to market is not something done lightly and there is no question the folks in Mountain View are painfully aware just how awkward a price point this is for the current image of a Chromebook. In my humble opinion that is actually a fundamental reason why they produced the device. Consider it a marketing expense aimed at raising the level of Chrombook’s image. And marketing by way of cutting edge new hardware (no matter how questionable the OS) seems to me much more useful than paying Jerry Seinfeld to take awkward rides in cabs (just an example…)

Yes… I know…. more laughing. Continue if you must I shan’t judge. However, I will bring this up… when the iPad was launched about all you could find any of the multitudes of early adopter communities commenting about it was the name being more suitable for a new revolutionary feminine hygiene product rather than a must have tech device. Makes for some fun reading to go find the slashdot comments for the iPad reveal today in light of the millions of devices sold, new market opened, and billions in the bank for Apple. Granted… I am fairly certain the Pixel is no iPad. There… that covers all bases for future examinations of this article. I am equally hedged in all directions ☺ Ok, I’ll commit to a view point. 

The main market for the Pixel seems to be anyone in need of 1 TB level G-drive cloud storage and who has an e-bay account with a good seller reputation. $500 off the cost of 3 years of service just for buying the Pixel. Then sell the Pixel on e-bay to a curious geek for say $500. Voila, 36Months of 1TB Google Drive service for $800 (savings of $1000). The remaining market are those that want to run some flavor of GNU/Linux on it that value the 1TB cloud storage advantage over the on board storage and OSX option of a Macbook air or similar Windows Ultra-book. Any poor schmucks actually spending this much money to run Chrome I think are masochists. To be more kind I will say anyone willing to plunk down $1300 for the ‘privilege’ of a premium Chrome OS device is making an investment in the future of Chrome OS. I wish them many happy returns. Myself? I prefer bird in the hand options to the ones in the bush when it comes to hardware this pricey. So, to use a popular meme of the moment. Keep calm and carry on… laughing. At least for now. This is some seriously sexy hardware in desperate need of a better OS option. I think an x86 android port would be more appealing than Chrome OS at the moment.

 Looking ahead? I am going to keep an eye out for the 2nd gen Haswell version (should push battery life past 8 Hours vs the current ho hum 5) of this curious creation with BT 4, USB 3, and a Sim Card driven version of the cellular radio. Combine with strait talk unlimited plan and a Linux distro of choice and you have a very capable sexy laptop with a nice cloud service. However, still not sure if I want to give up OSX and go back to the pain of dealing with config files and finicky driver support. Haswell RMBP 15” is still my first choice for replacing my 17” MBP. I have no real hope that Chrome will mature enough to be a serious consideration for a second generation of this device… assuming Google is willing to plunk out for a second take.