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Google Pixelbook – A High Performance Chromebook

store.google.com

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Re: Google Pixelbook – A High Performance Chromebook

#41

Post by PaulHoule »

dabockster wrote: post #20
zitterbewegung wrote: post #10

I'm not sure why Google tries to make a really expensive version of their Chromebooks . If this came out before the new iPad Pro's and Surface laptops it might be compelling to buy. But, if I want a walled garden experience I would choose an iPad Pro. And if I want a real keyboard with a stylus there is the Surface Book and many others. It is even competing with the lower end Chromebooks due to the price. It would be…

> I'm not sure why Google tries to make a really expensive version of their Chromebooks. I'm guessing they're going after the "idiot boss" market who will eat this up if given the chance.

Also media attention. Places like toms hardware seem to drool over 'flagship' phones such as the Fire Phone, Essential Phone, etc.

Google Home and Nest devices are also over expensive and over designed. I mean, Johnson Controls has been making smart thermostats for 30 years!

The trouble with that strategy is there is just one company that seems to profit from expensive and overdesigned hardware and we know who that is.

Re: Google Pixelbook – A High Performance Chromebook

#43

Post by cryptoz »

dymk wrote: post #39
cryptoz wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> iPhone location history stays on the phone. Not if you take photos and use iCloud.

There is a clear difference between using iCloud (which is opt-in) with geotagged photos (which you can disable from on-phone settings), and your phone sending your location to Google at regular intervals.

Yes for sure. Defaults matter and I agree that Google and Apple do things differently here. However, the phrase "iPhone location history stays on the phone" is false for nearly every iPhone user (100% of iPhone users I know).

Re: Google Pixelbook – A High Performance Chromebook

#45

Post by __MatrixMan__ »

Zee2 wrote: post #31
dchuk wrote: post #5

Interesting that there is no reference to targeting developers/coding at all for this device. Seems targeted at creatives with the Pen and Lightroom/etc on it. Other than that, none of the example apps it can support seem to me to really require "high performance" at all. Which is too bad, because it's a pretty device. Just seems like it's in a weird uncanny valley where it's probably way too much horsepower for most…

I really agree with the "uncanny valley" judgement. I would absolutely love to ditch my Windows 10 laptop for a smooth, efficient, and secure ChromeOS device. However, it simply doesn't have the software support, unfortunately. What I see a lot of "power users" doing is simply using their Chromebook to remote into their desktop for their application work. However, what then is the point of putting such powerful hardw…

Most of the time if I'm using a chromebook for anything other than web browsing, it's in a chroot environment--so I have all of the same functionality as my desktop at home.

Then again, my workflows are pretty all light weight, so I probably wouldn't notice the extra horsepower anyway.

Re: Google Pixelbook – A High Performance Chromebook

#46

Post by VikingCoder »

dchuk wrote: post #5

Interesting that there is no reference to targeting developers/coding at all for this device. Seems targeted at creatives with the Pen and Lightroom/etc on it. Other than that, none of the example apps it can support seem to me to really require "high performance" at all. Which is too bad, because it's a pretty device. Just seems like it's in a weird uncanny valley where it's probably way too much horsepower for most…

I've been running the Android App called "Termux," which lets me do C++, Python, Node.JS, git, Subversion, Emacs, Vi... Quite happy with it. I mean, it's not AWESOME, but for tinkering it works very well.

Re: Google Pixelbook – A High Performance Chromebook

#47

Post by frahs »

wazanator wrote: post #36
dchuk wrote: post #5

Interesting that there is no reference to targeting developers/coding at all for this device. Seems targeted at creatives with the Pen and Lightroom/etc on it. Other than that, none of the example apps it can support seem to me to really require "high performance" at all. Which is too bad, because it's a pretty device. Just seems like it's in a weird uncanny valley where it's probably way too much horsepower for most…

I'm willing to bet crouton runs on it out of the box so you can get a dev environment up fast.

But the developer mode notification on bootup kills the laptop :(

It warns you that you're in developer mode, makes a beep, and prompts you to push spacebar if you want to turn off dev mode, deleting everything on your computer.

Maybe you know to never make this mistake. Maybe you almost never turn off your computer. All that needs to happen is for you to reboot the computer once (say, it ran out of batteries while you were gone on vacation). Maybe it's you pressing spacebar on autopilot or a family member who mis-read the warning. The spacebar is pushed and now all your data is deleted.

I love crouton, but the dev mode warning is the most unfortunate user interaction design I've experienced in a product :(

Re: Google Pixelbook – A High Performance Chromebook

#48

Post by craftyguy »

napa15 wrote: post #37

I dont know why anyone would buy this unless the pen drawing experience is a lot better than on the Surface Pro and Ipad Pro and you're primarily an artist. The Surface Pro has a real OS with Windows on it, I'm sure somebody will hack the Pixelbook to allow Linux but it will probably have a bunch of stuff removed and unsupported then. It makes zero sense to buy this locked down device for 1k as far as I'm concerned.

Well, for one, it doesn't run windows.

Re: Google Pixelbook – A High Performance Chromebook

#49

Post by VikingCoder »

napa15 wrote: post #37

I dont know why anyone would buy this unless the pen drawing experience is a lot better than on the Surface Pro and Ipad Pro and you're primarily an artist. The Surface Pro has a real OS with Windows on it, I'm sure somebody will hack the Pixelbook to allow Linux but it will probably have a bunch of stuff removed and unsupported then. It makes zero sense to buy this locked down device for 1k as far as I'm concerned.

It runs Android Apps. There are lots and lots of Android apps.

Among them is "Termux," which lets me run C++, Python, Node.JS, git, Subversion, Emacs, Vi... Without rooting or anything. So, yes, there's a bunch of stuff you can't do, but it's pretty nice.

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