Google I/O 2022 made me want a new Pixelbook real bad

As we all know by now, Google I/O 2022 became more about hardware than we initially expected. With the official unveiling of the Pixel 6a, Pixel Buds Pro, Pixel Watch, Pixel 7 and 7 Pro, and the Pixel Tablet, things skewed towards hardware more than ever at Google’s annual developer-focused event. While there were a lot of software and services highlighted, the star of the show was the hardware we’re now eagerly anticipating.

I’m pretty excited for all of this stuff to show up in the coming weeks and months, but I couldn’t help feeling a bit empty after all of the hoopla, specifically after they showed off a new Pixel Tablet on stage that won’t be around for at least a year. Nevermind Google getting back into the tablet game after leaving it a few years back. Let’s not worry about the duality of Google making a big deal about a new big-screen device when they haven’t put out a Chromebook since 2019.

Instead, let’s focus for a moment on the fact that the likely reason Google is waiting to put out this new tablet in 2023 is due to the ongoing work on the Tensor chip that will power devices like this. Could they simply use the Tensor Gen 2 that we expect in the Pixel 7? Sure, but I’d imagine Google is working to make a more-powerful version of Tensor for this tablet to take advantage of the better cooling and larger battery that a tablet can provide. Assuming this is the case, that all sounds great. But I can’t help but wonder: where’s the next Pixelbook in all of this?

We’re all ready for the Pixelbook 2

After all, assuming Google is prepping a more-powerful Tensor for the bigger screen in the Pixel Tablet, wouldn’t that be a great fit for a Chromebook, too? And if that chip is being readied for a Chromebook, why didn’t they just go ahead and tease that on stage as well? It’s not like the Pixel Tablet release date is just around the corner at this point. With it being more of a far-off device tease, couldn’t Google have done the same with a new Pixelbook if they are at work on one?

All of this has been bouncing around in my head since the event. While I still hold to the fact that Google won’t make another Pixel until it makes one with Tensor inside, I felt a bit hollow after they took the time to announce a very early look at a new Android-powered tablet with no mention of a Chromebook in any way, shape or form. If they hadn’t put the Pixel Tablet on stage, I don’t think I would have given it a second thought. But they did, and now all I want is a new Pixelbook.

I have to believe that whatever Tensor chip gets put in this Pixel Tablet will be very similar to what Google would put in a Pixelbook if they choose to make a new one. Maybe the Pixel Tablet will launch early next year and they don’t plan on having a Pixelbook out until later in the year. If the earlier rumors on this are still accurate, placing the Tensor-powered Chromebook in 2023, that could fit the time frame.

And all of that has me yearning for the return of the Pixelbook to go along with my Pixel phone, Pixel Buds Pro, and Pixel Watch. While the Pixel Tablet might make a nice addition to that collection, I’d much rather have a Pixelbook 2 to round out my Google-made hardware. It all just feels incomplete without that addition, and more than I have in the past year at least, I’m so ready for Google to at least tell us that a new Pixelbook is on the way. It is time and the ChromeOS ecosystem needs to have the guiding light of a Tensor-powered Chromebook to continue pushing the boundaries of hardware. Will we get it? I still don’t know, but I’m confident that we absolutely should.