Google Pixelbook is a combo Chromebook and tablet

sesevans · 13 Oct 2017 at 09:16

"Time to call it: The Chromebook is the new Android Tablet" is the headline for this note I read in which the author argues the following:

1. The Chromebook convertible is essentially an Android tablet. As with any Android tablet, this Chromebook runs any app from the Google Play Store. It has a similar user interface, has a similar Android app launcher and is touch friendly.

2. The new Pixelbook is getting native integration of Google Assistant.

3. It operates within the fast-booting, secure, and free from manufacturer- or carrier-meddling Chrome-OS environment.

4. The operating system is updated every two to three weeks, directly by Google, for a minimum of five years.

Think about that last item. Every two or three weeks. And compare that to the update problems on non-Pixel smartphones. Even worse is the update you get on Android tablets----just terrible. Samsung's Galaxy Tab 2, for instance — arguably the highest-profile flagship Android tablet until this year's Tab S3 follow-up — received the Android 6.0 update 253 days after the software's release. The subsequent Android 7.0 update took a whopping 292 days to reach the tablet. It'd be a shock if the device were to get Android 8.0 at all, given the typical best-case-scenario two-year update window for most Android devices. (And don't even ask about monthly security patches.)

Google has been slowly merging Android and Chrome. With the Pixelbook, the day has finally arrived.

And with news this week leaking in DigiTimes about future detachable Pixelbooks at lower price points, I think we can say that the Android Tablet as we used to know it is dead.

The new Android tablet has arrived.

Dirk Diggler · 13 Oct 2017 at 09:46

@sesevans I own a Tab S2 and it cost me £240 on 17.03.17. The only negative I could give it is probably the update cycle, and even then it's running Android 7.0 and received the latest security update a couple of days ago.

I'm not convinced £860 is value for money for quicker software updates? 5 years of updates is impressive... although I've a feeling I'd have upgraded the hardware on or around the 3rd iteration.

As for the other points made:

The Tab S2, unbelievably, will run any app from the Play Store.
That's not something I'd be looking for in a tablet.
Yea, so stock Android?
Covered that above.

sesevans · 13 Oct 2017 at 09:56

String said:
@sesevans I own a Tab S2 and it cost me £240 on 17.03.17. The only negative I could give it is probably the update cycle, and even then it's running Android 7.0 and received the latest security update a couple of days ago.

I'm not convinced £860 is value for money for quicker software updates? 5 years of updates is impressive... although I've a feeling I'd have upgraded the hardware on or around the 3rd iteration.

As for the other points made:

The Tab S2, unbelievably, will run any app from the Play Store.

That's not something I'd be looking for in a tablet.

Yea, so stock Android?

Covered that above.

What struck me is that if rumours are true from DigiTimes, we may soon be seeing a fuller price range of the new Android Tablet called Pixelbook variations. Sure £ 860 is more than what many may wish to spend on the Pixelbook today but it seems to me the message is: stay tuned. As Google Assistant continues to improve I see native integration on Pixelbook variants being more and more significant a want-to-have feature.

As with Pixel phones vs Samsung phones, I see a promising return of the pure Android experience in a tablet which is great for competition and choice within Android and vs Apple.

Dirk Diggler · 13 Oct 2017 at 10:50

sesevans said:
As with Pixel phones vs Samsung phones, I see a promising return of the pure Android experience in a tablet which is great for competition and choice within Android and vs Apple.

I'll certainly have my fingers crossed for that. I decided to replace my Tab S2 with what I considered to be the only upgrade at the time, an iPad Pro. My wife became the owner of the iPad Pro after a fortnight, and I'm still happily using my Tab S2. If Google brought out a reasonably priced competitor with a pure Android experience, then I'd be all over it.

I'm sure I read that the tablet market was diminishing recently, even for Apple? I hope that can be reversed as decent tablets are hard to come by right now. Some may say Amazon, but their ecosystem is utterly, utterly horrendous.

BaldJedi · 13 Oct 2017 at 11:09

sesevans said:
".....
Think about that last item. Every two or three weeks. And compare that to the update problems on non-Pixel smartphones. Even worse is the update you get on Android tablets----just terrible. Samsung's Galaxy Tab 2, for instance — arguably the highest-profile flagship Android tablet until this year's Tab S3 follow-up — received the Android 6.0 update 253 days after the software's release. The subsequent Android 7.0 update took a whopping 292 days to reach the tablet. It'd be a shock if the device were to get Android 8.0 at all, given the typical best-case-scenario two-year update window for most Android devices. (And don't even ask about monthly security patches.)....

wtf has that got to do with chromebooks?

sesevans · 13 Oct 2017 at 12:17

BaldJedi said:
wtf has that got to do with chromebooks?

Chromebooks are offering you a wide choice from low priced to high priced now, some convertible into tablets. And with the new Pixelbook, a high end convertible, a high end choice with the advantages mentioned above. If the rumour from DigiTimes is true, then I expect the Android tablet as we know it to move more and more towards a detachable Pixelbook tablet option with choice at lower price points. Then the advantages of being in the pure Google ecosystem will be achieved.

BaldJedi · 13 Oct 2017 at 12:23

sesevans said:
Chromebooks are offering you a wide choice from low priced to high priced now, some convertible into tablets. And with the new Pixelbook, a high end convertible, a high end choice with the advantages mentioned above. If the rumour from DigiTimes is true, then I expect the Android tablet as we know it to move more and more towards a detachable Pixelbook tablet option with choice at lower price points. Then the advantages of being in the pure Google ecosystem will be achieved.

the waffle i quoted was going on about lack of updates for an android tablet which has nothing to do with chromebooks.... 2 different OS's.. you might as well have talked about windows..

Rimsy · 13 Oct 2017 at 14:22

No longer able to pre order these now on Google's site so some people are obviously buying them!

BaldJedi · 13 Oct 2017 at 14:32

Rimsy said:
No longer able to pre order these now on Google's site so some people are obviously buying them!

just refresh the page.. the 'buy' icon will reappear

Rimsy · 13 Oct 2017 at 16:37

BaldJedi said:
just refresh the page.. the 'buy' icon will reappear

Ah... Weird! Tempting but think I'll wait til closer to crimbo. Less likely to gain attention from the missus then

BaldJedi · 13 Oct 2017 at 19:18

Rimsy said:
Ah... Weird! Tempting but think I'll wait til closer to crimbo. Less likely to gain attention from the missus then

just do it.. xmas is aaaaaaaages away

Rimsy · 14 Oct 2017 at 00:09

Well refresh as I may it still only gives me the option to join the waitlist. Thanks for saving me a grand Google!

sesevans · 14 Oct 2017 at 08:45

Rimsy said:
Well refresh as I may it still only gives me the option to join the waitlist. Thanks for saving me a grand Google!

They are on display at the store I visited yesterday in London. I did not inquire but I thought you could buy them directly from the store. Incidentally, it is the shop on Tottenham Ct Road near Warren St Station which has in its name an Indian spicy food. It has a Google Store within its store and they have redeveloped the storefront for all the new Google products.

BaldJedi · 14 Oct 2017 at 10:23

still comes up for me.. :confused:

Rimsy · 14 Oct 2017 at 12:02

Guess you must truly be a Jedi then! :O

sesevans · 15 Oct 2017 at 21:13

BaldJedi said:
the waffle i quoted was going on about lack of updates for an android tablet which has nothing to do with chromebooks.... 2 different OS's.. you might as well have talked about windows..

"2 different OSs" Hmmmm......

Pixelbooks are being officially released on 31 October. I was particularly interested in seeing Snapchat come to the desktop through the Pixelbook. As you know, until now, Snapchat has only existed on Android and iOS phones. While not as large as Twitter or Facebook, Snapchat has 160 million daily active users. Note that Snapchat is not being launched on either Mac OS or Windows. They are aiming for Chrome OS and the Pixelbook.

What this shows is Google is leveraging Chrome OS and the Pixelbook in a way that is getting big developer attention. Clearly, bringing some sort of desktop experience for Windows or MacOS would be a much larger audience for Snapchat, but they are taking a different route.

The Question to ask is, Why?

And the answer is probably really simple: Android.

The ability for Chrome OS to leverage Android (finally) will become its greatest weapon. Developers who build and maintain Android apps will have far less work as they decide to go to the larger screen Pixelbook. This, by extension, gives them a big screen presence on all Chromebooks and all users of them.

This should be a big deal for devs.

On a Chromebook I can create a video with Google Photos, check Google Analytics/Adsense, have my background music playing in Google Play music and use Squid to jot down a quick to-do list. This just helps reinforce how useful Android apps on my Chromebook can be.

That is what Android has to do with Chromebooks.

correction: https://chromeunboxed.com/news/play-store-android-apps-leave-beta

BaldJedi · 15 Oct 2017 at 21:34

sesevans said:
" ...create a video with Google Photos, check Google Analytics/Adsense, have my background music playing in Google Play music and use Squid to jot down a quick to-do list. This just helps reinforce how useful Android apps on my Chromebook can be.
...

when you copy and paste text from other sites it's good etiquette to list your sources..

https://chromeunboxed.com/news/play-store-android-apps-leave-beta

Dirk Diggler · 15 Oct 2017 at 21:57

Ouch, that's a tad embarrassing

sesevans · 25 Oct 2017 at 16:35

There is a UK Pixelbook unboxing on YouTube SafTV that I enjoyed watching. It appears that the reviewer received not only the Pen but a free Google Home Mini and a nice backpack. This video was uploaded 3 days ago.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_UhZYC8VI8

Rimsy · 26 Oct 2017 at 11:32

yeah i saw that too - looks great and looking forward to getting mine in a few months. Just waiting to see how it handles android apps / games before hitting the button!