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If you noticed during the Google I/O 2024 Keynote yesterday, every time a live demo of something on the web was shown off, the laptops being used were a pair of the last model made by Google themselves: the Pixelbook Go.
I’m sure there are licensing issues and whatnot with putting a more modern Chromebook on the stage with an Acer, ASUS, HP or Lenovo logo on it, but it felt very strange for Google to still be using Chromebooks that were released in 2019 and have 6 year old processors inside them for I/O in 2024.
I’ve seen a few comments around the web today wondering if a Pixelbook Go refresh was finally in the works, and I hate to have to be the bearer of bad news by saying that there is no such device on the way or even on the roadmap at this point. Those were the old Pixelbook Go’s on stage yesterday and while I totally get why they’d use them from an aesthetic standpoint, it really does highlight the need for a new Pixelbook.
Google events on and off camera
Even if it is only for Google’s own events, a new Pixelbook could make sense in a lot of ways. Any time we go to a Google event of any sort, the entire check-in process and all front-facing laptop use is always done on a Pixelbook. While it is certainly commendable that these aging devices still run well enough for real-world use, what exactly is Google going to do in a few more years as these devices age out?
The original Pixelbook will be retired in 2027 and the Go will follow suit in 2029. That sounds like a decent leap into the future, but it really isn’t. When you consider the development time needed to get a Chromebook form idea to release, they probably only have a couple years left before there won’t be a plan in place to replace the Pixelbooks they use at these sorts of events.
I suppose the easy answer is that they could pay whatever licensing fees required to use an OEM device on stage and at events, but what sort of look does that convey? While I fully understand Google reluctance to disrupt their OEM partner sales with a brand new Pixelbook, it still feels like there’s a missing spot in the overall Chromebook lineup without one. And for those that don’t pay super-close attention to the Chromebook scene, it straight-up feels weird that Google doesn’t have a current, first-party Chromebook solution.
It’s not a problem I would want to have to solve, but it is one of those things that people keep asking about, keep wanting, and keep waiting on despite Google’s insistence that it isn’t in the cards. Does Google truly need another Pixelbook in their portfolio? Probably not, but if they could figure out a way to make it make sense in the current Chromebook ecosystem, I know there are thousands of fans that would snap one up immediately. And Google themselves could have them available for the next decade of events, too. Win-win.
