Today, we bid farewell to a legend
The Cr-48 may have been the Chromebook that started it all but the OG 2013 Chromebook Pixel ushered in a new era of premium devices by marrying Google’s lightweight Chrome operating system with some of the best hardware available at that time.
…the best in hardware, software and design to inspire the next generation of Chromebooks.
Linus Upson, Google VP Engineering
And inspire it did.
Not only did it pave the way for Chromebooks like the HP Chromebook 13 G1 and Samsung Chromebook Pro, the Chromebook Pixel unknowingly became the namesake of Google’s hardware initiative.
Another Chromebook Pixel, 4 phones(soon to be more), the Pixelbook and even some earbuds. Pixel is rapidly becoming a household name thanks to one somewhat obscure Chromebook launched more than five years ago.
Let’s reflect for a moment.
Alas, all good things must come to an end.
The news is making its way around the web that the Chromebook Pixel 2013 has finally reached its End of Life. Google’s Auto Update Policy promises updates to Chrome OS for at least six and a half years or five in some cases and it looks like the iconic Chromebook Pixel has been cut off just a couple of months beyond the latter.
It’s a sad day for countless Chromies who hold the Chromebook Pixel in high regard as the ultimate Chrome OS machine. A device that was never really meant for marketing to the masses, the Pixel has always embodied what a Chromebook could be when manufacturers are willing to focus their efforts.
There are a lot of people rumbling about the fact that Android apps never landed on the original Pixel but let’s be honest, as amazing of a device as it was in its day, the Ivy Bridge-powered Chromebook had horrific battery life when it was new. Regardless of the forward-thinking and development put into the 2013 Pixel, it is time to put the old girl out to pasture.
The first Chromebook Pixel will always hold a unique place in the Chrome OS hall of fame. If you have one of these devices, I would say hold on to it and cherish it as a treasured reminder of where Chrome OS came from. If you really don’t care and just want to get rid of it, shoot me an email and I’ll pay to have it shipped to the Chrome Unboxed office to put on display. 🙂
Source: Reddit
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