Google steps further into the hardware fray, announces touchscreen Chromebook Pixel - Page 3

Didn't you get the memo? There are no laptops. Now we call them notebooks. You are not supposed to use them on your lap because they get too hot and could burn you. Manufacturers decided they didn't want the liability so they changed the name.

 

Oh you burned your lap? That is because you're holding it wrong!

I use that part but that is not the storage. Google, I'm sure, has all the same sort of syncing or at least they should since they copy everything else Apple does.

In this case, I think Google might have had much of cloud sync before Apple did. I remember playing with a buddy's Android before Apple introduced iCloud, and on a lark, I thought I'd make a calendar entry on the Android, and it showed up in the guy's Google Calendar online in seconds.

I like Google services even though I am disappointed that they seem to steal ideas from Apple.

 

I use Google for search, maps, translate, news, adsense, adwords, analytics, and I obviously I have a gmail account which I do not use except for Google services.

 

On iOS I have Google Maps, Google app and Translate.

 

Speaking of Translate, I noticed since the last iOS update that when you touch the microphone icon in the translate interface, Siri pops up and interrupts the speech function. I tried numerous times but Siri always interrupted. Finally I said 'Goodbye Siri' and she left.

 

iCloud isn't tied to being the driving force behind your product's storage capabilities.

 

At the very least, it should have been 128 GB SSD drive and a quality fully capable UNIX based/derived OS that had a native API. Then again, they are going with their hobbled crap as they know it takes a solid decade or more to create a quality set of APIs even remotely compared to those of Cocoa [more like two decades, but I'll be kind].

 

For business users:

 

At $600/year for that 1TB of storage I question the intelligence of the average consumer to buy such a product when in 3 years NAS solutions and a one-time build out cheaply at home can make their storage needs made available to them, globally, under a consistent secure model that can be co-located if they need much larger pipes and no one's hands in on it.

 

For consumers:
In 3 years HDD and SSD tech will be merging/fusing more closely with very large drives [> 1 TB as the baseline for future SSD tech] at the cost of today's 1 TB HDD. At $99 for a black 1TB WD drive today, I find it rather hilarious someone wants to pay $600/year for ``the cloud'' when they will be stuck on butt ass slow connections, period.

 

Solution: Sell this overpriced crap to corporations who want to expand leverage against Amazon and Rackspace.

 

To consumers: DOA.

 

I find the lack of professional technical support, horrific configuration settings for corporate accounts and the aforementioned intelligent documentation dealing with working between an existing ISP and Google just a few of the reasons I can't stand their approach to computing. I find their publication software shoddy and their approach to leveraging a person's search history as a means to plug you to death with advertising a model that will eventually fail.

 

The more they compete in the direct OEM hardware space the faster their stock valuation [already overly inflated] will saddle down a good 50% off of where it presently stand.

As few lines as possible,  as few screws as possible, as few apps available as possible, as few SSD storage as possible, and rip our customers off as possible.

 

Actually, it doesn't look half bad, but unfortunately, it's has a low end processor, not much storage, no apps, a crappy OS.  Two USB 2.0 ports?  That's dumb. This is basically a netbook computer running a crappy OS with no apps available.

 

Oh well The multicolored LED is cool.

I doubt many consumers will ever buy it. Isn't Google drive free up to some reasonable storage size? Consumers probably aren't likely to use a terabyte in 3 years. That notebook probably won't last 3 years either.

Google Drive is free up to 5 GB - which isn't enough for a lot of people.

More importantly, anyone who puts anything confidential on Google Drive needs to have their head examined.

Google thanks you. They've made thousands off of your personal information.

Google needs to stick with what they do best. Which is not to try and pull off being a computer manufacturer. Same goes for MS. Stick with your software folks. Make that better, easier, etc...just my 2cents.

 

I would imagine the revenue Google creates per person using their services would be a closely guarded secret. Is it? Even if we don't have those numbers, I bet you're still close.

Well good for them. All they have from me is my name, my cell number, and one additional email besides my Gmail address. Surprisingly I have not received any telemarketing on my cell. It is on do not call but so is my office number and I get tons of solicitors on that number. Sure Google knows a little something about my interests and business but what good does it do them since I never click on any ads. As far as email spam is concerned I never see any as I have a service that filters it.

 

Besides I'm pretty sure I make more from Google than they make from me. My company gets a nice check from them every month.

 

Edit: Also I forgot to mention that my company is at the very top of the first page of Google results when you search for the generic name of our industry. And that is not a paid result either. 

Edited by mstone - 2/21/13 at 4:34pm

My philosophy is that any information I put on the internet will be used in some way by someone. I'd rather it be Google because it's in their interest to keep my information as tightly contained within their own system as possible. The only option safer than Google is to not use Internet services at all.

Now this is funny: http://pedantical.com/newest/2013/2/21/refurbished-retina-macbook-pro-is-cheaper-than-chromebook-pixel

Is there anything that needs to be used?

 

Guess we could go back to blinkenlights, stop using keyboards, mice, screens, and the like…

 

But if we're talking about things that actually need to be used to use a modern computer, you'd pick either a touchscreen or a keyboard/mouse combo.

You never have to click an ad and Google still makes money from you.

Lets say you're buying a new car. You search for reviews on the Toyota Camry. You follow that up with searches for the Honda Accord and maybe even a Mazda 6.

Toyota would like to know what people in a certain demographic look for in a family sedan so they pay Google for a report. Google tells Toyota that of all the people who researched the Camry, 72% also researched the Accord, 22% the Mazda 6 and 14% the Chevy Malibu. Based on this Toyota knows its biggest threat is the Accord so they will target their advertising dollars against the Accord.

This is just one example of how Google can sell information about you.

 

Buy a Pixel and with only 32gb on-board most of your data will have to be hosted by Google. Does anyone think there's nothing in that for them?

I'll ask again is there anything that needs to be used?

 

So now you have to add the price of a Windows license.. then you get to run it on 32GB of storage, of which you'll be left with half. Sounds good. A Macbook Pro with Retina display, with includes a mature, fully fledged OS, more than 4 times the storage space, better specs (USB 3.0, bluetooth 4.0, etc) better design, better support, and pretty much better everything would be cheaper. And I thought Apple stuff was supposed to be overpriced?

Edited by Slurpy - 2/21/13 at 6:27pm

Google is charging $1,299 for a web browser and try to sell it as a MacBook knock-off. What's wrong with them?

 

So what's your actual claim here? I covered that. Do you claim the ludicrous extreme; that humans require nothing more than a source of water and six slices of bread a day (a grapefruit twice a month)? 

 

I've done that. It doesn't work. "That" isn't "take the argument to the extreme", though I've done that, too. 

 

Yes, there are reasonable expectations for what is considered a modern piece of technology, and within those expectations are allowances for what are considered modern input methods. That minimum is a "need".

Its pretty, but at that price needs more stand-alone capability to do well in the marketplace. 

There probably is something they gain from it, but I don't plan to own a Chromebook until (unless?) they flesh out the OS to be more than a glorified browser.

All Apple comparisons aside, this device seems way overpriced unless ChromeOS can do something no other OS can. From the article it seems to just do the basics. If all you need is a laptop that does the basics I think you would be better off with a cheap windows laptop with an I3 or AMD APU. SSDs are fairly cheap for 128GB or so and you would not be limited on applications. Of course you won't have the touch screen or LTE at that price point but tethering would solve part of that. Seems like a nice display, but what all can you do with that OS to take advantage of that besides watching movies?

I agree as I also though I might be watching an Apple ad

 

It can send all your information to Google!

I have to agree with you there. Even though IDisk was a little slow, at least you had usable cloud storage integrated into the OS. I too have used hardly any of my iCloud storage, even though I was part of the grandfathered MobileMe crowd with 25GB of iCloud storage. I hope they bring the iDisk concept back into the fold. That said, I used it to compliment my local storage. This idea makes it more like your sole source of storage outside of an external drive. USB 2.0 at that.

So after 3 years, you will have to pay for your 1 TB of Google Storage. What a bummer. Google should have given the storage to you free for LIFE. Instead, they will nickel and dime you the rest of your life.

People here just don't get what GOOG is doing.

 

This is an experiment. The whole point is to find maybe 10k unltra rich people in the whole world who'd buy this, and then monitor their behavior in order to understand more about the "1%", so GOOG can find new ways to make money out of the 1%. 

 

This has nothing to do with average consumers, or even business owners. Period. 

Is that sarcasm or are you serious? This thing costs $1300, not $130,000. It's designed to help them fill out their product line (regardless of whether it's a useful machine at this time), not to spy on rich people.

ROTFLMAO.

Google has an entire business model based around using your information as many ways as they possibly can. Not to mention, of course, that there have been repeated examples of Google violating any reasonable privacy policies - and overriding the user's selection.

Anyone who trust Google over everyone else is either a paid shill or totally clueless.

Do you really believe that? You said:
Every time you use Google Maps, they track your location. Every time you use their search, you become a target for ads. Everything in your gmail account is theirs to use as they wish.

Those guys in the video don't even look like Jony Ive or Bob Mansfield.

Retina display. Glass trackpad. Now we know Google is the champion of Innovation.

I know they use it, but they don't sell it. If they sold they could only profit from it once. When Google serves ads they simply place an ad from a retailer and charge them for impressions and clicks. The retailer whose ad you see never knows who sees the ad and never gets information about users. I'd know because I work as an intern for an e-commerce company that helps retailers boost their return on ad spend. The most clicks and sales come from ads placed on Google sites but general stats like that all the information that ever comes out of Google (or any other search engine company for that matter).

Someone should, but not The Verge. They are Google's dog. 

Seems to me this is just Google designers wagging their tails wanting to show that they can do a premium laptop too.  But most people are looking at it as $1300 for a glorified web browser.  And only 5 hours battery life.  This has FAIL written all over it.  Plus I personally think the retina MacBook looks nocer and more polished.  Maybe Google was looking for more of an industrial look but I think it looks too industrial.  And I don't like the boxy feel.  Reminds me of laptops from 5+ years ago.

But we're forced to pay for it.