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2015 Chromebook Pixel

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Re: 2015 Chromebook Pixel

#421

Post by gburt »

TazeTSchnitzel wrote: post #217
higherpurpose wrote: post #191

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For all of Apple's focus on "simplicity" and "elegance" in design and whatnot, the company sure makes you carry a shitload of ugly dongles and extra cables and adapters along with your iDevices. Wouldn't they be more elegant if they would, you know...Just Work?!

They don't make you. Apple's approach is you do everything wirelessly. For the laggards, well, you might need an adapter or two, but it's still more portable than a thicker and heavier laptop.

Laggards? Have you ever actually tried to work on wireless peripherals?

Re: 2015 Chromebook Pixel

#422

Post by subway »

bduerst wrote: post #363
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…

>but i'm not sure how many would choose a Pixel over some other highend brands for a Linux machine. I'm curious to know what other ultrabooks make great hardware for a linux laptop. Do you know a few?

I'm a huge fan of the Lenovo X1 Carbon. Despite their stupid moves regarding preloaded software, it's tough to beat a Thinkpad for Linux support.

Even better than the Linux support though is their warranty support. For under $100 you can get a year of accidental damage protection with onsite service -- Not long ago I knocked my X230 off a desk, cracking the LCD. Lenovo sent an IBM tech out the next day with an LCD, who then installed it in my home office.

Re: 2015 Chromebook Pixel

#423

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

#424

Post by jerf »

[deleted] wrote: post #390
aikah wrote: post #263

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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…

[deleted]

$500K/year for a developer is generally unrealistic. (Not that they don't exist, but even if you made it your life goal to obtain one of these jobs you probably still shouldn't count on it.) $100K/year for a developer is very realistic, but keep an eye on the cost-of-living; even in the US that can be anything from upper-middle class lifestyle for an individual to "barely getting by" for a family.

I live in the Midwest and have what in the US would be a sanely priced house that bears some resemblance to its cost-of-construction. I have done business trips to Silicon Valley to developers who are making only modestly more than me, if not the same as me, who are living in houses worth 5 times as much on paper (and in their mortgage payments), and they'll be in there putting in top-of-the-line granite countertops or something that I wouldn't dream of putting in. My theory is that their house is just so gosh darned expensive that the idea of dropping $2K on a new laptop or getting The Very Best Countertops (TM) seems like a drop in the bucket compared to the debt they're already carrying anyhow. While I could certainly afford a $2K laptop, it's certainly enough to make me think twice, thrice, and a fourth time before I bought it (and I tend to come in more in the $1K price range when I do, since I run Linux and not Mac. There's some nice stuff at that price point).

Re: 2015 Chromebook Pixel

#425

Post by epistasis »

fuzzywalrus wrote: post #398
dogecoinbase wrote: post #354

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 cent…

While Apple has been in the business of simplifying ports there is a difference at least in previous cases we were ready to move on I'd argue. Back in 1999 I don't think I had used a floppy for a few years, zip drives? Sure, but not a floppy. Dropping the optical drive was bound to happen, I don't think I've really used a optical media bay outside of a game console for years. However, every day at work, I plug my Mac…

I'm more than ready to move on to this, and would have been ready years ago. In 1999, floppy disk use was far more prevalent than the need for multiple USB ports is now. For your described use case, you'll just plug your Macbook into a USB3 hub or dongle with HDMI (I don't think this machine has enough graphics power for multiple external screens). You will actually have fewer cables to manage.

And it actually would hurt the Macbook to include more ports. The current port is above the keyboard, likely because it can't fit under the keyboard. Adding more ports would mean increasing one of the dimensions. Given the versatility of the USB3C port, I think it's the best possible tradeoff. If you absolutely use lots of ports day to day, and can't use a hub, then this really isn't the computer for you, and Apple will even sell you one of those.

Re: 2015 Chromebook Pixel

#426

Post by scholia »

dntrkv wrote: post #136
jonathantm wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

#fanboy4life Show me a good looking laptop and I'll show you a laptop that somebody will say looks like something Apple made first. There are many ways this does not look like an Apple laptop. But you know what? It doesn't fucking matter. Buy it, don't buy it. Like it, don't like it. Whatever. Just - for the love of Ullr - please don't dirty this otherwise wonderful website with such fucking banal commentary. Say som…

Examples of beautiful laptops that don't look like MacBooks: https://brooksreview.net/imgs/sony_vaio_505.jpg http://www.sony.co.in/product/resources/en_IN/images/hubpage... http://venturebeat.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/voodoo-env... http://blog.laptopmag.com/wpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/... http://www.lenovo.com/shop/americas/content/img_lib/530x430/... Believe it or not, it is possible to design great looki…

Oddly enough, that superthin diskless Sony X505 pre-dates the first MacBook Air ;-)

Re: 2015 Chromebook Pixel

#427

Post by moe »

Alupis wrote: post #392
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…

> we'll all be so happy with the obvious (in hindsight) decision to switch to USB-C. I don't think the issue is the inclusion of USB-C -- in fact, USB-C offers a lot . I think the issue is only having one connector on the entire laptop. What happens if that port fails or beaks? Your laptop stops working...

What happens if that port fails or beaks? Your laptop stops working...

I'm not a fan of their single-port decision either, but in fairness: Every laptop stops working when the charging port breaks. No matter how many other ports it may have.

Re: 2015 Chromebook Pixel

#428

Post by atmosx »

blfr wrote: post #168

How is ChromeOS? Can you get a decent terminal or terminal app? Install and keep up to date the basic terminal utilities (ssh, tmux, vim, rsync, etc)? What about other software? Is the browser like the regular Chrome? Can you play regular media files (flac, x264 mkv)? Are there any unpleasant surprises?

ChromeOS is very fast, browser-based OS.

No the default terminal sucks big time. You need to ssh through a box and since the keyboard I have is not full-sized vim key-bindings are a bit of a problem.

None of the utilities you mention exists.

Software is scarce.

Unpleasant surprises? Hm no.

Chromebook is a toy laptop. You could use it for work IF evreything you use lives online (e.g. gmail, gcal, slack, etc.).

If you need more you need to install 'crouton' and get linux up and running. That will give you everything you asked.

I am not sure why Google locked down this device in such a way. A good terminal and the ability to install open source software, as done in MacOSX via macrpots/homebrew/etc, would greatly improve the overall experience and turn chromebook in a developer laptop overnight.

Re: 2015 Chromebook Pixel

#429

Post by Stratoscope »

evilduck wrote: post #411
jusben1369 wrote: post #334

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Android OEMs recently stabilized onto Mini-B but I've seen Android phones with Micro-B on them in the past and Samsung even had their own Apple 40-pin knock off for a while. Now all signs are pointing towards Android OEMs adopting the Type C port soon too, so you're getting a fourth port option for Android in the last 5 years.

Good point, but you have Mini-B and Micro-B reversed. Mini is the old thicker connector that you don't see much any more, and Micro is the newer thinner one.

Samsung also had USB3 Micro-B (the wide connector) on the Galaxy Note 3, but went back to a regular Micro-B in the Note 4.

Re: 2015 Chromebook Pixel

#430

Post by krasin »

X-combinator wrote: post #403
AdmiralAsshat wrote: post #266

Owner of a last-gen Pixel here. I don't see myself upgrading any time soon, but as far as refreshes go, this one seems to address most of my complaints, namely: - More RAM - Better battery life / charge time - USB-C ports Here's what I'm not sure if it will fix: - Overheating (original Pixel gets HOT on the top-left corner where I'm guessing the CPU resides) - OpenVPN support (ChromeOS does not support simply loading…

Engadget says it's STILL impractical - http://www.engadget.com/2015/03/11/chromebook-pixel-review-2...

It depends on the user. The first-gen Pixel is my only laptop for the last 2 years.
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