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Google Hardware makes cuts to laptop and tablet development, cancels products

arstechnica.com

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Re: Google Hardware makes cuts to laptop and tablet development, cancels products

#221

Post by [deleted] »

KingMachiavelli wrote: post #211
robocat wrote: post #87

Please build me a Linux laptop for software engineering, Google. For engineers only. No software support beyond ensuring the BIOS and the drivers work and are updated. I hate Dell, but I got a Dell XPS 15 because it was the only laptop I knew would: boot Linux reliably; last two Ubuntu LTS upgrades (4 years); have a high spec (i9 etc); and was reasonably priced (Apple tax was 50% higher for worse hardware). Is it imp…

> last two Ubuntu LTS upgrades (4 years); What does 'last' mean? Any laptop should 'last' 8+ years. > have a high spec (i9 etc); I really don't see the point of high-spec laptops for development use. Higher end, high power components just make the batter life worse - reducing the entire point of a mobile device. And you're paying a premium for the mobile version. A much better option is to have a beefy linux desktop…

[deleted]

Re: Google Hardware makes cuts to laptop and tablet development, cancels products

#222

Post by robocat »

KingMachiavelli wrote: post #211
robocat wrote: post #87

Please build me a Linux laptop for software engineering, Google. For engineers only. No software support beyond ensuring the BIOS and the drivers work and are updated. I hate Dell, but I got a Dell XPS 15 because it was the only laptop I knew would: boot Linux reliably; last two Ubuntu LTS upgrades (4 years); have a high spec (i9 etc); and was reasonably priced (Apple tax was 50% higher for worse hardware). Is it imp…

> last two Ubuntu LTS upgrades (4 years); What does 'last' mean? Any laptop should 'last' 8+ years. > have a high spec (i9 etc); I really don't see the point of high-spec laptops for development use. Higher end, high power components just make the batter life worse - reducing the entire point of a mobile device. And you're paying a premium for the mobile version. A much better option is to have a beefy linux desktop…

I do some of my work where there is no internet (except satellite). I happen to be CPU/memory/SSD bound for some of my development work. A four year old 4k laptop with equivalent speed and battery life!? - this one will pay for itself fairly soon by improving my productivity.

The 8950HK processor is fast[1] and NVMe is way faster than SATA.

I just use the integrated Intel GPU (I don't play games on my work laptop. If I were to play games, I would use a dedicated gaming rig or console).

I am expecting that in 4 years time I can get equivalent improvements to productivity by getting a replacement laptop (or even better, retire to a pacific island!).

[1] Benchmarks are not the answer, but anyway: https://browser.geekbench.com/processors/2145#family-64-sing...

Re: Google Hardware makes cuts to laptop and tablet development, cancels products

#223

Post by optymizer »

jpm_sd wrote: post #56

I'm looking forward to the upcoming announcement of a Google game console in 2019 [0], and the subsequent announcement that it has been discontinued in 2022. [0] https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2019/03/all-signs-point-to-a...

I used to believe in Google's ability to deliver quality devices: I bought the G2 when it first came out with its hardware keyboard, I've only owned Nexus and Pixel phones, and I've got Chromecasts in the house.

I'm also the owner of a Google Nexus Player - remember that device? I liked the idea of an Android TV / console for Android games. I bought 4 gamepads they were selling for it.

It was buggy. It was rarely updated. They stopped updates after about a year. Then it died unexpectedly - it didn't even last 2 years. Now I'm left with 4 bluetooth gamepads and a dead Nexus Player in a box in the basement.

It saddens me to say this, but I would never buy a device from Google again unless it's the second+ iteration in a successful line of products, and even then I would have to factor the chance that they'll discontinue it at any time.

Re: Google Hardware makes cuts to laptop and tablet development, cancels products

#224

Post by gst »

readittwice wrote: post #70
drdeadringer wrote: post #23

I may be soon in the market for a new Android tablet. Does anybody have suggestions?

Google just recently abandoned Android and pushed ChromeOS for tablets. Now this, there is just no continuity with Google. Unless you absolutely need Android for some reason, I would recommend the iPad.

> Google just recently abandoned Android and pushed ChromeOS for tablets. Now this, there is just no continuity with Google.

It's GTalk/Hangouts/Allo/etc. all over again, just this time with Android and ChromeOS. I wouldn't be surprised if they announce that they're going to abandon ChromeOS and that they're going to only use Android instead. How can the different product teams at a company be so completely disconnected from each other?

Re: Google Hardware makes cuts to laptop and tablet development, cancels products

#225

Post by scarface74 »

jessaustin wrote: post #193
scarface74 wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you think that Oracle's lawyers missed that when they said in court documents that Google made $31B on Android? A number that Google didn't dispute... https://www.reuters.com/article/us-oracle-google-lawsuit/ora...

Why would Google have disputed an obvious lowball? They were getting sued... The first line at your link: "...revenue of about $31 billion and profit of $22 billion..." Again, fake numbers, but wow that's profitable.

Do you really think in discovery in official court documents that Google could get away with having false numbers?

22 billion in profit in almost a decade for having 80% of the market is peanuts.

Google has paid more than that to Apple for being the default search engine on iOS for the same time period.

Re: Google Hardware makes cuts to laptop and tablet development, cancels products

#226

Post by weew1211 »

tannhaeuser wrote: post #103
robocat wrote: post #87

Please build me a Linux laptop for software engineering, Google. For engineers only. No software support beyond ensuring the BIOS and the drivers work and are updated. I hate Dell, but I got a Dell XPS 15 because it was the only laptop I knew would: boot Linux reliably; last two Ubuntu LTS upgrades (4 years); have a high spec (i9 etc); and was reasonably priced (Apple tax was 50% higher for worse hardware). Is it imp…

What is it about Dell that you hate? Anyways, Thinkpads are also held in high esteem for running Linux. I'm currently using a Dell XPS (2016 model) at home and a Thinkpad at my current customer project, both running Ubuntu 16.04, and I can recommend both. I chose the Thinkpad over a MacBook Pro, and would do again, but the display and touchpad is no match to Dell's, much less Apple's; that's however no problem becaus…

Also use a thinkpad, X1 carbon from 2015.

Run Manjaro with gnome-shell (actually gnome-shell-performance until 3.32 is released). Its lightening quick, reasonably stable, good battery life.

I also tried KDE, which works quite well, but the battery life was quite poor and I find the general KDE experience abrupt.

Now my 2017 mbp just gathers dust, never going back.

Re: Google Hardware makes cuts to laptop and tablet development, cancels products

#227

Post by discordance »

Theodores wrote: post #109
ChuckMcM wrote: post #35

The move comes after the group received pressure to turn Google Hardware into "a real business" from higher-ups at Google/Alphabet -- the squeeze continues unabated :-) Its too bad, since the Pixelbook is pretty nice and with actual investment it could have been something much more than it is, but alas it would not have the margins search advertising does. Back in the 90's I met the head of Xerox's PARC after he had…

I got my 6 year old Pixel laptop out the bag in a client meeting today, used the touch screen to quickly scroll through some stuff and the non-tech crowd wanted to know what the machine was. Despite its age it still had wow factor. "You should get one of these!" - if only they knew it was 6 years old... I passed up the opportunity to buy the new Pixelbook as the original Pixel still works nicely and I don't need Andr…

My 6 year old Pixel laptop has been end-of-life'd by Google. I got notifications last year that they would not be releasing any further OS or security updates.

I also have a 2011 Macbook Air, and am still able to get OS and security updates.

Re: Google Hardware makes cuts to laptop and tablet development, cancels products

#228

Post by llukas »

rconti wrote: post #184
kamarg wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Three gripes with my Dell XPS13. 1) The docking station is horribly buggy. If I unplug it to take my laptop somewhere and then plug it back in, I have to do a full reboot or none of the USB peripherals on the docking station get power. Monitors, power, ethernet all still work through the docking station after being plugged back in. Dell support took 4hrs of my time installing/uninstalling drivers and firmware updates…

The Dell thunderbolt docks apparently simply don't work. I have a friend who's gone through a ton of Latitude hardware. Dell just can't make it work, period.

Works mostly fine on XPS 15 + Linux + KDE. Quirks are on KDE end mostly.

Re: Google Hardware makes cuts to laptop and tablet development, cancels products

#229

Post by mdorazio »

pjc50 wrote: post #178
jpm_sd wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As an Xoogler, I can tell you that promising products that "will never be a billion-dollar business" get killed all the time. $100M in projected revenue? Yawn. Kill it.

How on earth does this make economic sense? Normal business operates on return on capital or margins, not overall size.

Google did over $100B in revenue last year. A $100M revenue product would move the needle 0.1%. And that's just revenue - it's pretty unlikely the net margins would beat Google's existing business lines. Meanwhile, it would require a significant amount of manpower, marketing, and support that would otherwise be spent on much larger profit centers. At a high level it just doesn't make sense - you'd need to be running dozens of such products to get any kind of return investors would care about, gumming up the org in the process.

Re: Google Hardware makes cuts to laptop and tablet development, cancels products

#230

Post by Twirrim »

robocat wrote: post #87

Please build me a Linux laptop for software engineering, Google. For engineers only. No software support beyond ensuring the BIOS and the drivers work and are updated. I hate Dell, but I got a Dell XPS 15 because it was the only laptop I knew would: boot Linux reliably; last two Ubuntu LTS upgrades (4 years); have a high spec (i9 etc); and was reasonably priced (Apple tax was 50% higher for worse hardware). Is it imp…

> Google, maybe it is because most of your engineers internally just need a good terminal, instead of a fast laptop?

Admittedly it's about 6 years since I interviewed there, but when I did, there were a number of engineers in my loops who were using chromebooks.

They found it more than sufficient for their needs.... I can see that, I guess. I'm assuming the bulk of the "heavy lifting" happened outside of the context of the chromebook.

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