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2015 Chromebook Pixel

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Re: 2015 Chromebook Pixel

#351

Post by jrochkind1 »

Sodman wrote: post #320

Owner of a 2013 Chromebook Pixel here - This new model definitely excites me. I've switched between running Debian natively on boot and running Ubuntu in crouton. As a Java/Web developer, my main gripes with the original Pixel are: -4GB RAM is uncomfortable. Usable, but you need to manage what's running -Battery life isn't great... I was seeing ~3-3.5 hrs during my 'real use'. -Overheating - Gets very hot when doing…

As an actual owner of a Chromebook Pixel... what would make you buy the new model instead of a similarly priced MacBook Air (much better battery life, more realistically sized SSD, better designed with no loose hinges etc, can still boot into Linux if you want)? Just prefer ChromeOS to OSX? Or the touchscreen? Something else?

Re: 2015 Chromebook Pixel

#352

Post by darcyparker »

AustinDizzy wrote: post #186
revelation wrote: post #148

Jesus, designing a usable ultrabook must be very difficult. We have one contender from California, but their ideology has them offer just a single USB-C port. Now we get the competitor from Mountain View, who have rightly recognized the need for more than one fucking port when that's how you charge the damn thing, and what do they decide? Oh yeah, we'll top out storage at 64GiB.

Google's marketing strategy for the Pixel isn't geared towards the "hacker" and developer type, it's more geared towards students and people who solely use their computers for simple web browsing and document processing. Offering 1TB+ of online storage is enough for all your office/school documents and all the photos you could ever want for the average person. If Google were making hardware only for developers and th…

There is a class of developers these are being marketed towards. For example developers working with c9.io, and other dev tools inside a crouton chroot could be interested. And the heavy weight machines these developers may need would be hosted in the cloud....

Re: 2015 Chromebook Pixel

#353

Post by krapp »

rbanffy wrote: post #284
krapp wrote: post #265

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Neither Apple nor Google, when designing these ultrabooks, really seem to consider 'usability' a top priority in the way the typical HN user would define the term. They seem like fashion accessories first, brand adverts second, and general purpose computers... somewhere further down. Of course i'm one of those cranky old dinosaurs who likes cords and ports and who doesn't particularly like 'the cloud' so obviously it…

Is there such a thing like a "general purpose computer" anymore? My computers need to be light. I don't need a powerful CPU and, since I run small VMs, not a lot of memory. With containers, the needs are even more spartan. What I do need is a good battery, screen and keyboard. Were I running simulations over large datasets, I would prioritize a large amounts of memory, fast CPUs and the fastest GPUs I could lay my ha…

I'd say a general purpose computer at the very least is one that doesn't make too many assumptions about what you should and shouldn't do with it. These ultralight notebooks seem indended primarily for consuming media and the web - which is fine, if that's what you want. But having more ports and more local storage is still less opinionated.

Re: 2015 Chromebook Pixel

#354

Post by dogecoinbase »

benihana wrote: post #299
ChuckMcM wrote: post #173

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What most people have missed is that USB allows charging and data over the same port. So you can easily get a power adapter that has a charging tip which has on the same cord another USB-C port (socket) which you can plug into your display chain, or port replicator or what not. In Apple's case I fully expect they will make it so that when you plug your Apple display into your laptop it also charges it since the charg…

At this point, I find this whole thing funny. Again. How many times has Apple done this in modern times? Remember the outrage when Apple removed floppy disk drives? Optical drives? Ethernet ports? Remember how mad everyone got when Apple replaced their old, thick connector on the iPhone 5? Nobody complains about how thin their phone is now that the old 30pin connector is no longer the limiting factor on size. Nobody…

Totally! And moreover, Apple's been on this get-rid-of-all-the-cables kick since at least the introduction of AudioVision 14 Display... in 1993. Anyone else remember the NeXT's unified power/display/keyboard/mouse/audio cable? ADC cables that passed power, display, and USB through the Cinema displays?

Aside from not relying on outside technologies for their success, eliminating cables has basically been Apple's central theme since (and before) their comeback. At least it's based on a standard this time.

Re: 2015 Chromebook Pixel

#355

Post by Sephr »

Last-gen Pixel owner here (recently upgraded to the new XPS 13).

I wish more manufacturers would follow Google's lead and start using 3:2 displays in laptops. An XPS 13 (2015) with a 3:2 display and USB C would be the most amazing device ever.

Re: 2015 Chromebook Pixel

#356

Post by fizzbatter »

revelation wrote: post #235
fizzbatter wrote: post #218

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To be fair, you're not running VMWare on the Pixel either (i don't think?). I'm skeptical that it is even a problem for just about anything you can actually run on the OS. It's a Chromebook afterall, running disk-utilizing programs is not it's design speciality. Sure, you could dump Linux on it - but i'm not sure how many would choose a Pixel over some other highend brands for a Linux machine. I believe the disk is m…

Surely a majority of people buying this won't be running the actual Chromebook system on it? What application can you even run on that system that would use 8GiB of RAM and an i5? And last I checked, you couldn't even run Skype on it, so I mean I just come up pretty much empty for the set of people willing to run Chromebook the OS and buy a 1k machine to do it. Since Chromebook is Linux under the hood, they'll presum…

Sure, many of the people buying this won't be running ChromeOS.. but then they shouldn't really be complaining that it doesn't fit their needs. A Chromebook is not a general purpose device, it was specifically designed for a narrow use case, ChromeOS. The fact that you can do something else with it, does not mean it was designed for that.

I'm not going to buy a vehicle designed for hauling freight, and complain that it isn't sporty enough. Which, in my opinion, is what complaining about the lack of storage in a "Webbook" is like. You're buying a device, specifically tailored and designed for people who are using a web based operating system. It doesn't even let you install things by default, outside of web apps.

Re: 2015 Chromebook Pixel

#357

Post by umsm »

aikah wrote: post #263
cdelsolar wrote: post #198

Earlier quoted context omitted.

because $1299 is a fortune

> because $1299 is a fortune Yes, for some people it is a serious investment. You might win 500k or more a year, good for you, you are successful. But for people who have kids who will have to go to University ,even at 100k a year , $1300 isn't a small amount of money. If you think people buy laptops like they buy candies well you're a privileged man, and again I wish you the best,but that's not the reality for most…

This laptop is a niche device, it will not appeal to persons who want the most notebook for the price.

Re: 2015 Chromebook Pixel

#358

Post by bduerst »

jusben1369 wrote: post #334
benihana wrote: post #299

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At this point, I find this whole thing funny. Again. How many times has Apple done this in modern times? Remember the outrage when Apple removed floppy disk drives? Optical drives? Ethernet ports? Remember how mad everyone got when Apple replaced their old, thick connector on the iPhone 5? Nobody complains about how thin their phone is now that the old 30pin connector is no longer the limiting factor on size. Nobody…

I understand your general point and think it holds true. However, I would say in my mind that the way Apple can decide to change their connector and suddenly make redundant a full range of downstream devices (house and car chargers, general chargers, audio equipment) is a real negative and one of the 3 or 4 things that keeps me from moving back over from Android.

3rd party market lock-in is one of the reasons I switched to Android too. I understand Apple is out to make money like everyone else, but skipping micro-usb is (from my perspective) not a product enhancement.

Their delayed support on NFC arguably killed the user adoption for the tech as well, but i digress.

Re: 2015 Chromebook Pixel

#359

Post by darcyparker »

DanTheManPR wrote: post #348
spot wrote: post #325

Earlier quoted context omitted.

xps13 does not have a retina screen. i don't think i could buy a non HiDPI device anymore.

It has the option of a 3200x1800 screen.

Where did you see this? I tried adding it to my cart and I don't see the option. And I don't see it in their 'configuration' description.

Re: 2015 Chromebook Pixel

#360

Post by nfoz »

dschiptsov wrote: post #253

It is only me, or Dell XPS 13 9343 is simply better?

If you compare the new Dell XPS 13 or even a Vaio Pro 13 (sadly not sold in the US anymore), it's pretty surprising to compare them to the Pixel.

They both have much more connectivity options, 16:9 13" screens while being a full pound lighter. The Sony's keyboard was great. There's not much of a selling point in favour of the Pixel given that it's heavier and doesn't have a real disk drive or many ports / connectivity.

Unfortunately I returned my new Dell XPS13 because I was so disappointed by the keyboard. But it's really not that bad, I was going to get it again when the Linux version is launched. But now I'm going to try a Pixel out instead. If I could still get a Vaio Pro, or a Panasonic Let's Note, or many of the other Japanese high-end ultrabooks in the US, I would gladly do that instead of the Pixel.

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