The Pixel Problem

Say hello to the Chromebook Pixel, Google's latest offering in their Chromebook line.

Thin, gorgeous, sleek, stylish, and with a stunning (if oddly proportioned screen), the Pixel is the first Chromebook to actually try and break into the high-end category of laptops that customers are seeing in the market.

The Pixel sports a 12.85-inch 3:2 ratio display which claims to offer 18 percent more vertical space than 16:9 does. The screen has a 2,560 x 1,700 resolution, with 239 pixels per inch, and offers a brightness of 400nit. And it is touch-enabled, so that's there too. Inside, the Pixel has a dual-core 1.8Ghz Core i5 processor, 4GB of RAM and two SSD options -- 32GB or 64GB. For data hoarders out there, Googlel is also throwing in 1TB of Drive storage with every Pixel for three years; what they estimate the life of the machine to be.

I will be the first to admit, I like the Pixel a lot. It has a very good look to it, quite decent internals, and an unmatched, though weirdly sized screen. Oh, and the front has a little cutout for a pretty light show. Yes, I am that easily sold.

What I'm finding harder to stomach, though, is the Pixel's price tag. For the 32gb, wi-fi only model, the Pixel is going for an astounding $1,299. Want 64gb and built-in LTE? You'll be coughing up $1500 for those privileges. In no way should Google be pricing this laptop in what we will refer to as the Apple range of pricing. For less money you can grab a Macbook Air with more memory in it (albeit with a lower resolution, non-touch display).

Yes, Google, the Pixel is a beautiful machine, but it is not worth $1300-$1500 , especially when your Chrome operating system still is a slightly over-glorified web browser. I am currently thinking of picking up a Chromebook because they are astoundingly cheap and I need a replacement for my almost dead laptop, but I would not buy the Pixel. If I was spending that much money, I would do so on a fully-fledged laptop with all the bells, whistles, and stats to back it up.

The weirdest thing about this laptop, though, is how Google is seemingly going against itself. Remember the Nexus 7 for $299? How about the Nexus 4, unlocked, for $350 (16gb model). Or, more recently, the Samsung Chromebook and Acer C7 Chromebooks for $249 and $199 respectively? Google's modus operandi lately has been undercutting competition to show that they can deliver the same if not more in a product for less of a price; and now they are going over almost everyone else (including Apple)? It seems to me like their marketing teams haven't been working together very well lately.



Also, check out this weird, Apple-y video spot for the Pixel. Strange.