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2015 Chromebook Pixel

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Re: 2015 Chromebook Pixel

#611

Post by cjbprime »

derekp7 wrote: post #553
cjbprime wrote: post #506

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have bad news -- the SD card reader on both the new and old Chromebook Pixel is hooked up over USB2 (i.e. max 20MB/sec transfer rate). There is no internal expansion via msata/pcie. And the SSD is soldered down.

Would it be worth putting a large SD card on it, and using a portion of the internal storage as high speed cache?

I guess so. The question is whether it's worth spending $1k on a laptop with such a restriction, vs. just buying a different one for about the same price that's actually expandable.

Re: 2015 Chromebook Pixel

#612

Post by mkozlows »

nindalf wrote: post #565
mkozlows wrote: post #559

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As someone who runs Linux and ChromeOS on my personal laptops, was looking at the XPS, and just ordered a Pixel, I can answer that: 1. Chromebook is zero-hassle. It's great that Dell is putting native Ubuntu on their laptops, but fundamentally those are still machines that were designed for Windows first and awkwardly adapted to Linux. They'll always have a few niggling issues that a designed-for-ChromeOS machine won…

What is the difference between a laptop designed for Windows and one designed for Linux? Apart from device drivers (graphics, Wi-Fi, bluetooth) which are usually not a problem, I can't think of any difference. Perhaps Linux might not look very good on very high DPI screens, but that's it.

Look at what the Project Sputnik people are saying about getting Linux working on the current XPS 13 -- they're working on drivers for various portions of it that don't currently work currently on Linux. (If you install Ubuntu on the XPS 13 today, it will have problems.)

It's great that Dell is doing that, it really is. But if they were building a laptop for Linux first, they never would have sourced those components.

Re: 2015 Chromebook Pixel

#613

Post by kalleboo »

semi-extrinsic wrote: post #579
kalleboo wrote: post #537

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes the cheap to replace wire end breaks easily. But the expensive-to-repair computer side port is solid. You're going to see a lot more expensive computer repairs with the USB-C charging port.

True. Although I think it would be much better for durability if Apple used the same wire/power brick layout as everyone else: have the power brick in the middle of the wire, accepting 120/240 V from a standard "figure-eight" cord. Then that cord would be the one that breaks, and they cost $1 to replace. Of course this conflicts with Apple's business model...

All the Apple laptop and iPad adapters I've gotten accept a standard figure-8 cord if you just slide off the national plug. For my it's the slim cord between the charger and the machine that wears out.

Re: 2015 Chromebook Pixel

#614

Post by Kurtz79 »

lmm wrote: post #604
jcoffland wrote: post #571

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or you can get an Apple notebook and install Linux. Apple makes really solid gear. This is a clear imitation.

How much does Apple charge for something with similar weight/size and the same screen resolution?

Comparing similar models at exactly the same price, similar weight and form factor (top of the line Pixel vs. base Macbook Pro 13), information taken from Apple Store and Ars review of the Pixel:

The Pixel has:

Better processor (i7 2.6Ghz vs i5 2.7Ghz)

Slightly better resolution (2560×1700 vs 2560x1600)

Double the RAM (16GB vs 8GB)

The Macbook has:

Double the SSD storage (128 GB vs 64 GB)

Better integrated GPU (Iris Pro 6100 vs HD5500)

So I would say there is no clear-cut winner.

Regardless what people thinks, the base specs for the Pros are quite fair for the price.

EDIT: I was forgetting that the Pixel has a touchscreen display, somehting that Apple doesn't offer at all, at the moment.

Re: 2015 Chromebook Pixel

#615

Post by TazeTSchnitzel »

lucb1e wrote: post #338
ortusdux wrote: post #302

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I always recommend getting a warranty through your insurance company. My wife got a surface pro, and in her hands I give it a 2 year half-life. We got a personal articles policy on it that is about 45$ a year, and it covers any situation except terrorism or government/cdc seizure. Those policies are a good read. Squaretrade was over 100$ a year and did not cover theft etc. Oh and no deductible. She broke the 60$ char…

Or you live in Europe and 2 years of warranty on new electronics is the law, not the premium.

Technically you have even longer rights if you're in the UK, at 6 years, where under the a Sale of Goods Act 1979, if a product was not fit for purpose you can send it back.

http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/regulation/sale-of-go...

Re: 2015 Chromebook Pixel

#616

Post by lsaferite »

boobsbr wrote: post #269
lsaferite wrote: post #114

If the specs* they list are correct, it charges fully in 1.5 hours, which, at 60W, is 90Wh of storage. 90Wh over 12 hours is 7.5W of power usage. That's a nice small number. It's 50% more than the new MB, but significantly more computer as well. *: They claim to charge enough for 2 hours in 15 minutes. The charger is a 60W charger.

this article claims it's a 72 watt-hour battery: http://www.pcworld.com/article/2894970/hands-on-googles-new-...

That would put it at running at roughly 6W and the 60W charger is only being used at 48W.

Re: 2015 Chromebook Pixel

#617

Post by [deleted] »

lucb1e wrote: post #338
ortusdux wrote: post #302

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I always recommend getting a warranty through your insurance company. My wife got a surface pro, and in her hands I give it a 2 year half-life. We got a personal articles policy on it that is about 45$ a year, and it covers any situation except terrorism or government/cdc seizure. Those policies are a good read. Squaretrade was over 100$ a year and did not cover theft etc. Oh and no deductible. She broke the 60$ char…

Or you live in Europe and 2 years of warranty on new electronics is the law, not the premium.

[deleted]

Re: 2015 Chromebook Pixel

#618

Post by freehunter »

grecy wrote: post #550
lobster_johnson wrote: post #501

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What I hear people complaining about is that the product isn't complete out of the box: You immediately have to go out and buy a hub, or at least a charger that also acts like a hub, and/or an HDMI adapter. Some of these gadgets are, for now, a little expensive -- $40 for something that used to be built in is, for some people, an insult. (I don't mind myself; I take the long view about things like this.)

If you have devices that immediately require you to buy a hug for the new MacBook, it's obvious you're not the target market, and you need to buy one of the more "Pro" ones. I.e. the one with "Pro" in the name.

I see people complaining about the Macbook like Apple is forcing you to buy it. You're exactly right, for the people who are complaining, Apple makes a Macbook Pro with multiple ports on it. Or even a Macbook Air with a couple extra ports.

Just because Apple has an iPad doesn't mean you can't buy a Mac Pro, you know?

Re: 2015 Chromebook Pixel

#619

Post by CardenB »

Kurtz79 wrote: post #614
lmm wrote: post #604

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How much does Apple charge for something with similar weight/size and the same screen resolution?

Comparing similar models at exactly the same price, similar weight and form factor (top of the line Pixel vs. base Macbook Pro 13), information taken from Apple Store and Ars review of the Pixel: The Pixel has: Better processor (i7 2.6Ghz vs i5 2.7Ghz) Slightly better resolution (2560×1700 vs 2560x1600) Double the RAM (16GB vs 8GB) The Macbook has: Double the SSD storage (128 GB vs 64 GB) Better integrated GPU (Iris…

Also you wouldn't need to use crouton for Linux on a MacBook.mOS X would offer a better applications and offline support.

Re: 2015 Chromebook Pixel

#620

Post by datsun »

I like its design and specs are good too, but boy is it expensive. I imagine ChromeOS is pretty useless outside of browsing web or taking notes, so why not just buy a tablet for half the price?
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