Chromebook Pixel: Spoiling me for other chromebooks

I have been using a Samsung Series 5 550 Chromebook since picking it up last year. The Samsung is a great laptop that happens to run Chrome OS, something that works very well for me. I like everything about the Samsung. Then Google sent me a Chromebook Pixel and spoiled me.

The Series 5 550 Chromebook works very well for me. It runs Chrome OS nicely and is a super work machine that meets my needs. There is not really anything I don't like about the Samsung, but it's no longer enough.

The culprit is the Chromebook Pixel, the expensive laptop from Google that costs almost three times what I paid for the Samsung. The Pixel hardware is as good as that on any laptop, even better in some ways. Using the Chromebook Pixel is sheer joy and it's not often you can say that about a laptop.

The Pixel keyboard is great, the trackpad is outstanding, and then there's that screen. The high resolution, even higher than the famous Retina display, is simply wonderful to use. Text displays razor sharp and graphics pop. The integrated long-term evolution (LTE) is so darn convenient when wi-fi is not available. Then there's the touchscreen. This has come in handy far more than I thought it would. Chrome OS is not fully optimized for touch, but what it can do with it makes the Pixel even better than without.

Given the high price of the Chromebook Pixel, surely I'm not thinking of getting one? As you have probably guessed, that's exactly what I am considering. My Samsung Chromebook that I liked so much is just not cutting it now that I've used the best Chromebook.

Chromebook Pixel
(Image: James Kendrick/ZDNet)

I haven't pulled the trigger on the Pixel yet, as it was not in my budget. I recently bought the MacBook Pro and another similar purchase is not in the budget. But I admit I've come very, very close to doing so.

The Pixel I am using now is going back to Google shortly and the thought of going back to a regular chromebook is not appealing at all. Stepping down on the hardware, the build quality, the integrated LTE, the gorgeous display, the touchscreen...

You may think I'm crazy to be considering spending this much ($1,449) for a Chromebook Pixel, and you're not far off the mark. I don't know anyone I would recommend to do so. But the fact is I use Chrome OS, it works well for me, and I want to run it on the best hardware available to run it. It's my money, after all.

That in a nutshell is the narrow audience that the Chromebook Pixel is aimed at: Someone who is already convinced that Chrome OS will work fine for them. The price is too high for those not sure about Chrome OS. But for those like me who know it's good, and want to run it on the best hardware available to do so, the Pixel is it.

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Android laptop? No! Give us Android apps on Chromebooks instead

An Asian source that often shares rumors that have no basis in fact recently put one out there about upcoming Android laptops. I'm not linking to it, as it's not a news report; it's pure conjecture. It's also a very silly idea on all fronts.

(Image: James Kendrick/ZDNet)

A laptop running Android would offer nothing of benefit to consumers or the enterprise. The OS is designed for phones with small screens, and tablets with slightly larger ones that are totally operated by touch. As good as Android is on those devices, it would not be of much use on a laptop as the primary OS.

We already have Android tablets with laptop docks, like the Transformer line from Asus. These tablets are quite nice for occasional use in the dock as a laptop stand-in, but not as full-time laptops. While a few Android apps work fine on these hybrids in laptop mode, most really need a tablet form to be useful. That's lost on a pure laptop form.

An Android laptop would certainly need a touchscreen to even use most apps. The only apps that would be feasible to use on a laptop are those that scale up to a larger screen; there are quite a few that do, but far more that don't. There would need to be a way to find "laptop" apps in the Play Store, and even that would be hit and miss.

There are some good office suite apps on Android that would open the chromebook up to the enterprise market. While not real Office, these apps go a long way to replacing Microsoft's suite for many.

No, Android laptops won't serve any users that aren't already covered well by existing products. What I'd rather see Google make happen is bring Android apps to the chromebook.

With the first touch chromebook already on the market, it makes far more sense to bring Android apps to Chrome OS. These apps would extend the already useful OS by opening it up to the thousands of apps already out there. While many of the apps wouldn't be a good fit for the laptop form, quite a few others would work just fine.

There are some good office suite apps on Android that would open the chromebook up to the enterprise market. While not real Office, these apps go a long way toward replacing Microsoft's suite for many. Chromebooks could waltz right into the enterprise with ease if they could run Android apps.

The enterprise angle aside, chromebooks with Android apps would have outstanding entertainment options. There are lots of good games and media apps on Android that would be right at home on the chromebook touchscreen.

Chromebooks are solid devices without Android, and I'm not suggesting they need the apps to be useful. But if you have a choice to run the apps, then why not?

I'm happy with the Chromebook Pixel I am using, as it is a fine laptop. But when I think of it adding Android apps to the mix, it would be outstanding.

This would be the case of adding utility to an existing group of products, and that's always a good thing. Making an Android laptop that doesn't provide any utility not already possible with existing products serves no purpose. So please, Google, we don't need Android laptops. Give us chromebooks with Android instead.

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