Last year, Google introduced its first line of consumer hardware under the #madebyGoogle moniker.
Since that time, Google Home has gone from unknown to a household name, Chromecast has fully matured and become the most dominant streaming hardware, Google Wifi has become one of the most popular routers on offer, Daydream has become big enough that even Samsung (with their own VR platform) has enabled their latest devices for it, and the Google Pixel is widely reviewed as the best Android phone ever made.
That’s a lot of accolades for a year. Especially for a hardware maker that’s never really made hardware before this.
I’ve talked at great length about all this before, but it still stands: devices under Google’s umbrella get big marketing and they are aimed at consumers.
Pixelbook Will Be One Of These
This is why I’m a bit confused right now. We’ve already talked about Pixelbook’s price, its huge SSD storage and the bigger overall vision this device could be hinting at, but much of the conversation around those things all point to Google making another Chromebook Pixel that is glorious overkill intended for a niche audience.
With the price, the hardware, and the OS we know will be on board, I would tend to agree. I personally would love to see the Pixelbook blow up and sell millions, but I am a realist. I just don’t see that happening.
So the question still looms: why are they including this in the #madebyGoogle line and event?
Google could roll this device out weeks or months after their central product lines. Their event could simply be about the Pixel 2, Google Home and Daydream just like last year. There’s no one demanding an expensive Chromebook with amazing hardware.
Well, other than us, I suppose.
So, that is the question I pose for your awesome discussion. If the price of this device puts it in the same spot as the first two Chromebook Pixels (crazy overkill, great hardware), why in the world is Google putting it right in line with its other consumer devices?
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Why make it part of the hardware line that will get marketing dollars and unrivaled attention from Google?
That question is what makes me convinced there’s more to this story than we know. I, for one, can’t wait to find out exactly what that is.
