I don't know, but I still like the idea behind the "netbook": small, portable form factor with real keyboard, cheap machine, decent battery life, GNU/Linux. To me, it's too bad that the netbook was pretty much been pushed off the market by the advent of the tablet PC, but as this fact suggest, I'm obviously part of a minority here.
Sigh. I'm building these into a "kiosk"-like application where the great touchscreen, nvidia graphics, and good cpu are awesome.<p>We sort of knew this would eventually happen but it still sucks.<p>Developing on Android in Java is pretty gross, esp without rooting.<p>I would love some sort of vanilla Linux tablet that had something like a 10 year SLA and basic support. Ideally a system with PC architecture hardware that has great support by vanilla linux kernel.<p>The idea is to reduce your dependency on a Big company that only cares about consumer whims for a couple years at a time.
So, where can one go for a well-made Android tablet these days? Is Samsung the only game in town? The Amazon tablets aren't that great.<p>A few years ago, my parents bought Nexus 7 tablets to use as e-readers and for games. At the time, they were obviously the best small Android tablets and the purchase was a no-brainer. If they broke today, I'm not sure what I could recommend as a replacement.
That's a shame - the Pixel C was the nicest out of the Google Nexus/Pixel tablets I've owned - luckily I skipped the Nexus 9, but the Pixel C was head and shoulders above the Nexus 10. The keyboard was the first I've seen for a tablet that wasn't just an afterthought (and that includes the Surface Pro 1).<p>I think this really only leaves the Samsung S3 as a premium Android tablet out there, which is a shame.<p>I had high hopes for a Nexus 7 replacement with Pixel branding - and I understand the whole "phablet" argument against a mid-size tablet - but it doesn't sound like that will be the case.
I got a pixelbook a couple of weeks ago and I freaking love it. Before that I had a Yoga 2 pro running arch. I'm using Termux on it to get a local linux environment that doesn't require turning on developer mode. It's good enough for the light coding that I do on it (emacs, clang, cmake). I also use Termux for SSH rather than the chrome extension.<p>So far it has been amazing. The hardware feels top notch.
Will it still receive updates? I don't own a Pixel C, but I'd just like to know since it bugs me immensely that every device Google delivers is discontinued in less than 3 years. My Nexus 5 was marketed as a stock Android device that would get updates immediately and now it hasn't been receiving updates for 1-2 years. I know that the problem kind of lies with Qualcomm because of some security applications, but it still pains me to see this.<p>This imo is the same as planned obsolescence. Can we really not get phones that will be supported and working for 5 years or more? Not all of us get a new phone every year like you Americans.
The main caveat in Pixel C is android, Pixelbook fixes it with ChromeOS.<p>ChromeOS's window management is far suited for productivity than android and in some cases (IMO) even mainstream desktop operating systems. Android app ecosystem is an added bonus, albeit missing some essential features like HW acceleration, better clipboard management etc.<p>ChomeOS + android > Android + Chrome browser !
I have been on the verge of buying a Pixel C or Pixelbook for my parents :<p>- They currently have an aging nexus 10<p>- my dad does not want an apple product<p>If Google had created a new Android tablet instead of the pixelbook, I would have bought it.<p>The pixelbook looks really nice but I am not sure that the mix of Android and Chromebook will be easy for my parents to pick up.
I absolutely love my $65 Samsung Chromebook I got on a Black Friday sale a few weeks ago, and while of course it bogs when I have 15 tabs open, I am constantly surprised at how well it performs even under heavy loading.<p>The ridiculous price point of the Pixelbook literally makes me laugh out loud. A thousand fucking dollars for a damn Chromebook?? Absurd.<p>I personally like the $199 price point and would love to see manufactures deliver a kick-ass chromebook at that level....something that almost matches the Pixelbook performance.
I mean once you start getting into the upper price range for tablets you might as well start to consider purchasing a 2 in one laptop with a touch screen as well. But it appears as Google has bet on it's various chromebooks to fill the gap between tablet and laptop with providing the features most regular consumers want.
Am I wrong in thinking that Google is crazy to not have a proper linux option for the Pixelbook?<p>They get alpha geeks away from OSX and Macbooks. They get a platform they can own and leverage. Get the developers, expose them to the tools, let them build stuff, and cross compile it or whatever to ChromeOS and Android.<p>Have it dual boot into ChromeOS so your family can give it a spin.
the Pixelbook will fail because it is too expensive. I love Chromebooks and think they make sense in a lot of cases...but at a $350 price point.<p>I still use my Nexus 9 (typing this on it)...and skipped the Pixel C due to costs and bad reviews<p>Google's entire "upscale" Pixel effort seems doomed. The Nexus effort was mostly perfect: decent hardware at attractive prices and stock software with reasonable updates.<p>Apple commands a premium in part due to Apple Stores being plentiful. When my son cracks his iPhone screen, he walks to the Apple Store and he has a replacement screen in about an hour. What can Google offer? Nothing similar.