Two years have passed since the launch of the Chromebook Pixel, the first model in the series with high-end specifications and a high-resolution display. However, time tends to be cruel to hardware, and many believe the current configuration has run its course. At the latest Google TeamWork event, the Mountain View giant confirmed that there will be an updated version of the laptop, although with limited availability.
The original specifications of the Chromebook Pixel include an Intel Core i5-3427U processor with two cores and four threads at 1.8 GHz, 4 GB of RAM, integrated Intel HD 4000 graphics, 32 or 64 GB of solid-state storage, and an excellent 12.85-inch multitouch display with a native resolution of 2,560 by 1,700 pixels. Anyone with a more humble portable system would dive headfirst into a Chromebook Pixel, but at an average cost of $1,300, Google limited its market from the start. In fact, that limit was always part of the plan: the Chromebook Pixel was created with developers in mind, and it includes the possibility of easily changing the operating system, something that does not happen with cheaper models. Even so, the Intel chip in the Chromebook Pixel is Ivy Bridge, and it lacks the latest energy consumption optimizations offered by Broadwell and its generation.
In other words, the idea has taken hold that the Chromebook Pixel could improve its hardware a bit, and that is exactly what Renee Niemi, head of Chrome and Android at “Google at Work”, confirmed. The most striking part of the announcement is that Niemi focused on lowering users' expectations. During the latest Google TeamWork event, Niemi said that the Chromebook Pixel is both a development platform and a proof of concept. Google will take care of selling them, but there will not be many units available, and she also added that 85 percent of the Pixels were acquired by developers and Google employees, so they are likely to be seen very little outside of captivity.
What can we expect in terms of hardware? The only data that has circulated so far is that the general screen size will not change, and that it will include the new reversible USB ports. Two other strong rumors indicate the implementation of Freon (the new display server in Chromium) and the adoption of a hybrid configuration, similar to the Surface Pro 3. The next stop for Google is the I/O conference at the end of May, and it is likely that the new “Chromebook Pixel 2” will be presented there.
