With the Pixelbook, Google is looking to transcend Chromebook with a laptop for the masses. But a $999 starting price tag is going to be hard to swallow for small business owners on a tight budget.
Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL) just announced its latest laptop at the company’s annual hardware event.
Google is promoting the new Pixelbook as the top tier of Chromebooks. The new laptop is more powerful, and packs many features select individuals and industries will find useful. The question is, will Google be able to attract customers outside of its core users?
For small businesses and freelancers in the creative field, the 2-in-1 Pixelbook may do well. But once you venture into industries such as accounting and other fields in need of heavy duty processing, the laptop faces an uphill battle.
So how will Google convince new customers to give the Pixelbook a chance? Matt Vokoun, Product Management for Hardware at Google, explains on the official company blog The Keyword how the plan is to change the way laptops are viewed.
Vokoun elaborates, “With Google Pixelbook, a new high-performance Chromebook, we’re hoping to change this. We’ve worked to combine the best parts of a laptop, a tablet, and a smartphone, to fit how we use technology today.”
Google Pixelbook Specs and Price
The $999 price tag will get you the entry-level Pixelbook with seventh-gen Intel Core i5, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB SSD. If you want 256GB SSD with this same processor, the price goes up to $1,199.
A seventh-gen Intel CoreTM i7 processor, 16GB RAM, and 512GB NVMe storage will increase the price to $1,649.
All of these configurations come with a 12.3-inch, 2400 x 1600 LCD Touchscreen, 10 hours mixed use 41Wh battery, 2 USB-C inputs with fast-charging ports, a 720p camera, backlit keyboard and Bluetooth 4.2.
The Pixelbook pen is extra, and it will cost you an additional $99.
Features Small Businesses Can Find Useful
Chrome OS is a fast, secure and proven platform with automatic updates. And as part of the Google cloud ecosystem, you will be able to access your documents and other files from virtually anywhere.
The addition of the Pixelbook Pen is going to allow for sketching, drawing and designing with 60 degrees of angular awareness and 2,000 levels of pressure sensitivity. This Pen alone might be enough to sway businesses with design intensive needs.
The integration of smartphone features into Pixelbook includes the addition of Google Assistant. You will be able to set reminders, find emails, open documents and more.
The Pixelbook and Pixel Pen are available for preorder in the U.S., Canada, and the UK, and will be available for sale October 31.
Images: Google