Google reportedly planned to launch a premium Chromebook under the Pixebook name, but canned the project despite it being quite far along in development.
The Verge sources say the company had planned to include a version of the Tensor processor that sits within the company’s flagship Pixel phones.
The sources say a launch was still planned as recently as this spring, but it appears cost-cutting measures at Google has put paid to the plans. Those working on the purported Pixelbook have now been reassigned, according to the report. It comes after Google CEO Sundar Pichai recently warned of precisely this sort of trimming in a memo to staff, reported in July.
“In some cases, that means consolidating where investments overlap and streamlining processes. In other cases, that means pausing development and re-deploying resources to higher priority areas,” he reportedly wrote.
Regardless, the cancelling of the project will be disappointing for Chrome OS users seeking an upgrade on the Pixelbook line, which was first launched in 2017 and continues today via the lightweight Pixelbook Pro.
Indeed, as recently as May this year, the company’s hardware chief Rick Osterloh informed the same publication “we are going to do Pixelbooks in the future.” Indeed, our own editor-in-chief Alastair Stevensen had enthusiastically called for a Pixelbook refresh following the Google I/O keynote in May.
Seeing the Tensor processor line behind the Pixel devices would have been interesting, and would surely have assisted with the interoperability of Google’s devices. The forthcoming Pixel Tablet will have the Google Tensor processor on board, so a Chromebook with the same underlying hardware would have represented some serious project synergy.
When asked about the reported cancellation, a Google spokesperson said it doesn’t share product plans or information about terms working on its various hardware projects. Google is scheduled to launch the Pixel 7 range along with the Pixel Watch at an event next month.
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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.
