Google has confirmed it will not launch a new Pixelbook laptop in 2022, casting doubt on the future of Google’s own Chromebook range.
The news broke during a Qualcomm press event in London attended by Trusted Reviews, where a spokesperson for Google was invited to talk about Chromebooks.
Chrys Tsolaki, Retail Partner Manager for Chromebooks at Google, was asked whether Google is working on a new Pixelbook laptop. She said: “Next year [2022] there won’t be anything coming. In the future, I don’t know.”
Pixelbook fans shouldn’t be too disappointed, however, as Chrys Tsolaki refused to rule out the possibility of another laptop launch in the series beyond 2022.
The Pixelbook was a top-end Chromebook that Google launched back in 2017. The device featured high-end components for a Chromebook at the time, and ran using Google’s ChromeOS. It was one of the first Chromebooks to feature flagship, rather than basic, specs. It’s still on sale today, at a heavily discounted price.
The device was intended to be a Chrome-powered ultrabook for developers to code on and grow the operating system’s app offering. Despite impressing Trusted’s then computing editor, Michael Passingham, the Pixelbook never fully took off when it came to sales.
Since then, Google has chosen to focus more on the education market, with the only other own-brand Chromebook since the original Pixelbook, being the more affordable Pixelbook Go, which launched last year.
Chrome OS is a lightweight operating system focussed around Google services. It utilises the company’s backend infrastructure to let low-power devices run apps over the cloud. It is separate to the firm’s Android operating system, which focuses on mobile devices, and WearOS, which is bespoke designed for wearables.
The news will be a disappointment for fans of the original Pixelbook, with rumours suggesting that Google planned to release a Pixelbook 2 alongside the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro smartphones in October.
Rumours suggested the laptop would feature flagship specs, active stylus support and run using Google’s new AI-focussed Tensor chipset. It’s unknown whether these rumours were simply false, or whether Google has postponed (or even cancelled) plans to launch the Chromebook sequel.
Google was also rumoured to be working on a Pixel Watch for the October event, though this also didn’t appear.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
