10 months later the Pixel Slate is finally priced to sell

Ah, the Pixel Slate; the Google tablet I love to hate on but secretly always want to use. This Chromebook disappointed so many people and yet I still have a desire to use it. Maybe it’s the great speakers, the gorgeous build quality, or the fingerprint scanner. Maybe its the desire to force a tablet to be my go-to device. Or maybe it is just my want to use Google’s newest Chrome OS device.

Regardless of the reason, I am attracted to the Pixel Slate even though the better fit for my needs is a clamshell or convertible. There’s just something about it that makes you want to pick it up and use it even if you don’t technically need to. But, as Joe would tell you, my needs aren’t indicative of everyone else’s needs and there are plenty of people who aren’t just attracted to the Pixel Slate: they actually love using it, too.

For those of you out there who want a detachable, larger screen Chromebook that oozes quality and looks amazing doing so, the Pixel Slate is made just for you. The problem up to this point has always been the price. Even steeper than the Pixelbook before it, the Pixel Slate was a tough sell when you consider having to purchase a keyboard and pen separately. At it’s original listing price, the Core i5 Pixel Slate with a keyboard and pen would run you $1270 before taxes. That’s a lot to pay for any machine if you ask me.

The good news is we’ve seen some pretty decent sales on the Pixel Slate over the past 10 months, so there have been opportunities for users to give it a try as time has worn on. But we’ve not seen anything quite like this before. At multiple outlets right now, you can buy the Core m3, Core i5 or Core i7 Pixel Slate for steep discounts and get a free keyboard of your choice as well through September 2nd.

The Google Store is knocking a full $249 off the base price of all three models and throwing in the keyboard (either Google’s or Brydge’s version) for FREE. Best Buy is playing along as well as B&H Photo, though these two retailers will only bundle the Google-made keyboard. If you want the Brydge G-Type keyboard in your amazing Pixel Slate bundle, you’ll need to shop at Google’s store.

Any way you slice it, this is a fantastic deal and puts the Pixel Slate into the green light, buy it now category for me. I’ve always been a tad hesitant in recommending it to friends or readers simply because it never quite felt like it was worth the premium price tag. With what amounts to about $450 off the asking price, I can now say this is a great deal for a great piece of hardware. I simply wish Google would learn this lesson sooner rather than later: price drives Chromebook adoption. $300-$600 is the sweet spot and launching products outside that range is inevitably going to lead to poor sales and outrageous expectations. Maybe they’ll learn with the new Pixelbook.

Shop Pixel Slate Bundles at B&H Photo

Shop Pixel Slate Bundles at Best Buy

Shop Pixel Slate Bundles at the Google Store