Yesterday, from a wide range of sources, it was reported that Google has no plans of ever making a Pixel Chromebook follow up. This lead to a lot of consternation as the Pixel lineup, while having a hefty price tag, were the premium Chrome OS experience.
Well, not so fast. Google’s Rick Osterloh took to Twitter today and laid out that the Pixel Chromebook isn’t dead at all. It is just that there is nothing to report on it.
Hey all, Google’s own Chromebooks aren’t “dead” as has been reported. They will live on, we just have *no plans to share at this time* 😉
— Rick Osterloh (@rosterloh) March 2, 2017
Now for those who don’t know who Mr. Osterloh is with Google, he is certainly a voice of authority on this topic. He is the Senior Vice President of Hardware at Google. Yeah, he might know a thing or two.
Not having anything to announce is a far cry from not having anything at all. Given the focus on the Pixel brand from Google and Chrome OS for that matter, having a premium experience just
Chromebook Pixel 2
makes sense. But it is all a matter of timing and frankly, beyond the Pixel phones, any guess is good at this point.
We can reasonably expect the next generation of Pixel phones in the September/October timeframe of this year. That would be in line with the early cadence we see on phones from Google. But rumors of a Pixel C replacement have been floating for months as have a replacement for the wildly popular Nexus 7 tablet. But nothing has been confirmed. A Chromebook Pixel is going to fall into that category.
Personally, as a heavy user of Chrome OS, I can’t wait to see a new Pixel. I’m also glad that the rumor of them being completely dead is a rumor.
