Google announces Pixelbook
Google's latest laptop is a high-end device running ChromeOS with its own PixelBook Pen accessory.
Alongside the expected Google Pixel 2, Google Pixel 2 XL and Google Home Mini, Google also used this morning's Made By Google event to announce its latest high-end Chromebook, the Google Pixelbook.
The Pixelbook is Google's newest flagship laptop running the company's ChromeOS, although unlike previous generations there's not much mention of it being a "Chromebook" device. It seems that "Pixel" isn't just a label for Google's inhouse mobile ambitions, with the Pixelbook announced as being a highly capable - and highly expensive - device.
As with other ChromeOS products, Google's pitch for the Pixelbook is that it's simple to use. It's around 10mm thin and weighs in at 1kg, making it Google's thinnest product to date. The Pixelbook works as a laptop, foldable as a tablet, or in tent mode. It also features a 12.3 inch touchscreen display.
The Pixelbook will run on Intel Core i5 and Core i7 processors, with up to 16GB of RAM and up to 512GB storage. Battery life via USB C charging is claimed at up to 10 hours. It will also automatically tether to your Pixel phone if Wi-Fi is out of range, dodging the need for a mobile hotspot setup. Google's Assistant is also built into the PixelBook. The PixelBook will support stylus input with its own supported PixelBook Pen accessory, built in cooperation with Wacom.
Pixelbook will be available from US$999, while the Pixelbook Pen will cost $US99, with pre-orders starting in the US, Canada and the UK from today. Google hasn't always launched all its Chromebook devices in Australia, so if you want one, you may have to import.
