Thinking About the Next Pixelbook (Premium)

Google's first PixelBook almost got me, but its smallish display and the immature state of Android integration with Chrome OS stood in the way. But with the heat of summer having crested, we're now inundated with rumors for all kinds of products that will ship this fall. And among those are rumors of a second generation Pixelbook.

For those who are worried about a future in which even a long-time and die-hard Windows user and advocate such as myself will throw in the towel and switch to a rival platform, I have good news: I already know that the Pixelbook 2, as I'll call it here, will not trigger this transition.

This is a personal thing: Like you, I have my own very specific requirements for any product or service. And the Pixelbook 2 just doesn't make sense to me: It's reportedly a 16:9 detachable PC, meaning that it will be lighter and thinner when used as a tablet than the current Pixelbook, which uses a convertible PC design.

Looked at more broadly----and relying on 20 years of experience reviewing laptops and other hardware products---I will also note that that 16:9 aspect ratio is particularly terrible for a tablet. And that's not my personal opinion, it's a fact: For a tablet to look, feel, or work right in portrait mode, it needs a squarer aspect ratio, like 4:3 (iPad) or, even more ideally, 3:2 (Surface). Google didn't just screw up that part of the design for me; it literally screwed up that part of the design, period. You know, assuming that the rumors are correct.

The Pixelbook 2, which is codenamed Atlas, aims to solve some problems for Google. Yes, the search giant arguably dominates personal computing today, thanks to Android. But where Android is indeed dominant in smartphones, it has been a lot less successful in tablets. So the new strategy is to adapt Chrome OS to run Android apps, and to make Chromebooks the new tablets. The Pixelbook, generally speaking, is Google's Surface. And with Pixelbook 2, this is getting a lot more literal: Pixelbook 2 will be Google's Surface Pro.

On the face of things, this is smart. After all, Surface Pro is, by far, the most popular Surface PC model, and its various incarnations have always topped the usage charts. Looking at the most recent AdDuplex data, literally from this past week, Surface Pro PCs (and Surface Pro form factor PCs like Surface 3) account for fully 88 percent of all Surface PCs in use today. And the top 4 Surface PCs in use are all Surface Pro models (and Surface 3).

But, again, this is where my personal needs and those of the broader market diverge. I understand that Surface Pro and Surface Pro-like PCs like the HP Envy x2, HP Spectre x2, HP Pro x2, Samsung Galaxy TabPro S, Eve V, Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet, and many others are popular with buyers. But I also know they are not for me: The displays, usually around 12-inches, are too small, and the form factor, while versatile, is not optimal for the way I work. I'm a writer, and I need an excellent keyb...

Gain unlimited access to Premium articles.

With technology shaping our everyday lives, how could we not dig deeper?

Thurrott Premium delivers an honest and thorough perspective about the technologies we use and rely on everyday. Discover deeper content as a Premium member.

Tagged with

Share post

Please check our Community Guidelines before commenting

Windows Intelligence In Your Inbox

Sign up for our new free newsletter to get three time-saving tips each Friday

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Thurrott © 2024 Thurrott LLC