Conclusion
Something magical happened during the course of this review. I know many of you have been waiting for it, and we apologize for the delay. But truth be told, it was worth it. I’d already spent a few weeks with the Pixel when it entered the bowels of Anand’s lab to have its display characterized. I used that time to put together much of what you’re about to read. My conclusion was somewhat complex but came to this: If you want Chrome OS to succeed, can put it to good use now, and have Retina MBP class money to spend, you should get it. Philosophically the flaws of Chrome OS are its assets, and its assets are occasionally flawed. And once I’d retrieved the Pixel from Anand’s labyrinth (you thought I meant laboratory didn’t you?) I opened it up to give it one last look, and something magical had happened. It got better.
Operating systems change and improve, that’s nothing new. Bug fixes are and point updates are released that buff up the design, smooth out the dings and add functionality. This is generally something that trickles out over months, if not years. Yet in just a few weeks, Google’s team had brought to the Stable release more fixes and features than I was prepared for, and which sent much of my review back to square one. And, perhaps, that’s the perfect introduction to this review; a testament to the fact that if nothing else, when you buy a Chromebook, you’re buying something that’s getting better faster than any other operating system you’ve used before.
The user experience remains limited. Some have joked that Chrome OS should have a giant Beta tag on its side; indeed, these naysayers may have a point. If that is the case, the value of your $1300 lays not with the silicon, lithium-ion cells, metal chassis, nor that display; the true value of the Pixel comes in the potential that comes with a platform given nearly all the hardware features we could ask for. Chrome OS continues to improve, with frequent updates that affect every aspect of the software. Packaged apps, Native Client and asm.js are all new techniques for bringing more immersive, beyond-the-browser style apps; while APIs like WebRTC, WebGL and WebAudio enable more complex applications to be built entirely within the browser, and leveraging hardware resources for performance. Indeed, Chrome OS’s future seems ever more fortified by the preponderance of web apps being introduced by Google at I/O this year. Some of the most exciting things that surfaced during the keynote were services that span across all platforms. Multiplayer games that can be played on iOS, Android or any Chrome browser. Notifications that can be responded to or cleared in your browser, and register as acted upon on your phone. All enabled through services and incorporated with no user intervention.
This is a future that could play out wonderfully. It could also find itself floundering for years, unable to gain sufficient traction to attract the developers that will make Chrome OS feature competitive. Or, as plausible, the real dagger in the heart of Chrome OS, will be Chrome itself. As compute becomes cheaper, the need for a cruft free operating system to drive a fast and seamless web experience diminishes. I don’t know which way this might go, but I want to be a part of it. And I think that’s the primary criteria that buyers should consider. If you’re compelled by the notion of the web as a platform, this is a notebook for you. If you want the nicest looking laptop around, and aren’t beholden to legacy apps, this is a notebook for you.
Frontiers aren't for everyone, though. There'll never be many buyers for the Pixel, and Google was always going to be okay with that. Though they built this to serve a particular sliver of the market, it faces competition even there. The stiffest competition comes from an unsurprising place: the 13" MacBook Pro with Retina Display. Starting at $1499, it is just a hair above the LTE model we're testing today, and not so far from the base Pixel to leave them in distinct price categories. And for your extra cash, you get a capable operating system with an existing application ecosystem able to serve the most discerning of users. And that's the real clincher, any app you'd like (even Chrome), not just the promise of a bright future of web apps. Google's content to bring all of Chrome's features to every platform, so that the success of the web as a platform can be available to all. So, if you're not ready, consider the rMBP. If, on the other hand, you're ready to leave all other platforms behind, and set forth with only Chrome by your side, then you'll find no better option than the Chromebook Pixel.
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