Google has always marketed Chromebooks as cheap everyday notebooks, but it looks like it has just turned a new page by announcing its newest 12.85-inch Google Chromebook Pixel. All would be well if that new page did not look like it was taken out of Apple's textbook.
Chromebook Pixel aimes to grab some of that glory from the unbeatable but expensive Macbook Air with its 12.85-inch 2560x1700 (239 ppi) touchscreen hidden behind Gorilla Glass. As you can notice, the screen ends up with a rather strange 3:2 aspect ration designed to better fit web content and accoridng to Google's Chrome VP Sundar Pichai, this is a notebook on which you'll never ever see another pixel in your life.
Design wise, the Google Chromebook Pixel is machined from anodized aluminum and weighs 1.52kg/3.35 lbs. It measures 297.7x224.6x16.2 mm and uses some sort of "active cooling" with no visible vents.
Specification wise, the new Chromebook Pixel features a 1.8GHz clocked dual-core Core i5 CPU, Intel HD Graphics 4000, 4GB of RAM and either 32 or 64GB of SSD storage depending on the model. In case you are worried about storage, you will be happy to know that Google threw in a hefty 1TB of 3-year free Google Drive storage with every Pixel. The model with less storage will also be limited to WiFi, while the 64GB one will come with Verzion LTE, at least in the States.
It also features three microphones, 720p HD camera, custom Chrome backlit keyboard, two USB ports, mini DisplayPort output, SD card reader, WiFi and Bluetooth for connectivity (and LTE on bigger model). It features a 59Wh battery that should be enough to keep it running for up to 5 hours of active use, at least according to Google.
Now comes the bad side of the story as it is a direct competitor to the 13-inch US $1,499 MacBook Pro with Retina Display, which is by the way a much better system, the Google Chromebook Pixel starts at US $1,299 for the WiFi-only 32GB model, shipping next week, and US $1,449 for the 64GB one which will be available in early April.
You can check out more over at Google's Chromebook Pixel page.
