Underseer
Contributor
When the Google Pixelbook originally came out, everyone asked the same question: Why in the [bad word] would anyone want to buy a $1000 Chromebook?
Sure, the Pixelbook looks like the best Chromebook ever made, and some reviewers even insisted that its keyboard is better than that of any other laptop out there, but no one seemed to think a $1000 Chromebook makes any sense given that most of the Chromebook market is currently made up of cheap $200[ent]mdash[/ent]$400 glorified web browsers intended for schools, for parents to buy for kids, for your tech-challenged granny, etc.
First, Chromebooks can now run Android apps and LINUX apps, so they're starting to look and function more like a real laptop that runs real productivity apps.
Second, I'm suddenly seeing a wave of Chromebook products from various manufacturers that fall into the $500[ent]mdash[/ent]$700 range.
For example, the HP Chromebook X2, which is going for anywhere from $500[ent]mdash[/ent]$600.
Every review I've seen for one of these new "mid range" Chromebook devices has the reviewer excitedly pointing out "The specs aren't that much worse than a Pixelbook, and it's X dollars cheaper!" If the Pixelbook never came out, all of those reviewers would have pointed out "Wow, a $600 Chromebook? That's twice as expensive as a usual Chromebook!"
By putting a very expensive Chromebook on the market first, Google changed what the reviewers say on all those other mid-range products coming out right now.
Sure, the Google Pixelbook is currently on sale for $700 instead of $1000, but I still argue that the HP Chromebook X2 is better bang for your buck. I can't help but wonder if the real purpose of the Pixelbook was to run "interference" for a new category of Chromebooks coming out from other manufacturers.
Android tablets are on the way to obsolescence because Android developers didn't feel like making apps that make use of the extra screen real estate that tablets offer. From that perspective, this seems like a shrewd move on Google's part. If they expect Chromebooks to fill the void Android tablets were supposed to fill, then it makes sense to help Chromebook manufacturers make more money with more products.
I should stress that I don't have an ounce of evidence for any of this, but does this sound like a reasonable explanation for the ridiculously expensive Pixelbook?
Sure, the Pixelbook looks like the best Chromebook ever made, and some reviewers even insisted that its keyboard is better than that of any other laptop out there, but no one seemed to think a $1000 Chromebook makes any sense given that most of the Chromebook market is currently made up of cheap $200[ent]mdash[/ent]$400 glorified web browsers intended for schools, for parents to buy for kids, for your tech-challenged granny, etc.
First, Chromebooks can now run Android apps and LINUX apps, so they're starting to look and function more like a real laptop that runs real productivity apps.
Second, I'm suddenly seeing a wave of Chromebook products from various manufacturers that fall into the $500[ent]mdash[/ent]$700 range.
For example, the HP Chromebook X2, which is going for anywhere from $500[ent]mdash[/ent]$600.
Every review I've seen for one of these new "mid range" Chromebook devices has the reviewer excitedly pointing out "The specs aren't that much worse than a Pixelbook, and it's X dollars cheaper!" If the Pixelbook never came out, all of those reviewers would have pointed out "Wow, a $600 Chromebook? That's twice as expensive as a usual Chromebook!"
By putting a very expensive Chromebook on the market first, Google changed what the reviewers say on all those other mid-range products coming out right now.
Sure, the Google Pixelbook is currently on sale for $700 instead of $1000, but I still argue that the HP Chromebook X2 is better bang for your buck. I can't help but wonder if the real purpose of the Pixelbook was to run "interference" for a new category of Chromebooks coming out from other manufacturers.
Android tablets are on the way to obsolescence because Android developers didn't feel like making apps that make use of the extra screen real estate that tablets offer. From that perspective, this seems like a shrewd move on Google's part. If they expect Chromebooks to fill the void Android tablets were supposed to fill, then it makes sense to help Chromebook manufacturers make more money with more products.
I should stress that I don't have an ounce of evidence for any of this, but does this sound like a reasonable explanation for the ridiculously expensive Pixelbook?