Hi, this is Wayne again with a topic “Uh Oh Google…”.
So apparently, it’s not all rosy in Google World Google land there’s some reports coming out that Google has been cutting back on some of the hardware positions around the development of certain devices wearing the Google badge. Google hardware and technical program managers rearranged internally into other positions. Specifically, the product people responsible for the pixel book and pixel tablet Department. So of course we’re talking about the pixel slate was the most recent google tablet that we saw and yeah the pixel book, which I used somewhat extensively an interesting product. They advertise it a lot of memory, there’s a lot of commercials around that particular product.
Now this is a different group from the group responsible for the pixel smartphones. The impression there is that that particular product may be a bit more successful, possibly more more competitive. The pixel book, on the other hand, in the pixel slate kind of maybe not received as well, I know in my personal experience – would be slate, for example, kind of a strange device. Where do you put the pen? There’S no, will there’s no magnet right? Is there anywhere to put the pen didn’t really meet my criteria for something that I would want to carry the pixel book a little bit more, so I used it for a period of time, but then again it came with a kind of crazy price tag to Match all the way up to like 2,000 bucks for a top spec bottle when the Chromebook positioning in general is all about inexpensive devices for those that just want a basic set up, something to get online and so on.
That was the premise around Chrome OS, at least for a long time now, Google’s responsible for other hardware as well. It’S important to note. Sometimes you forget man they’re, making a lot of things right now beyond the pixel phones themselves, there’s also all the smart speakers. The Google home products, the the chromecast and things like this – that are kind of all over your house and you hardly even notice them anymore, so there’s a wide variety of hardware that Google is involved in then, of course, there’s also the acquisition or partial acquisition of Htc in Taiwan course that move seems to indicate that Google would tap some of the hardware capabilities of that particular company in order to create some of their products, or at least have some sort of influence over their hardware products for the most part. Right now, that’s likely filtering into the pixels smartphone product, rather than these ones that we’re talking about here now the thing is right now this is nothing but a report. This is coming from sources inside the company and then speaking to Business Insider.
So you have to take it for what it’s worth this rearrangement could be. For other reasons, it might not spell the end of the pixel book or pixel slate, but in all honesty, looking at those products, the price points associated with them, I would have to say in my opinion, those are probably the least competitive products that Google is currently Putting their badge on, and even though I have my own healthy skepticism regarding whether or not this report is true, the pixel book has seen some heavy discounts in recent weeks months and so on, especially at the top spec. So, as we know from past product experience, typically when you’re seeing products discounted significantly, it means one of two things: either that products being liquidated just because there’s not going to be another version of it and they’re trying to get rid of it or a new version Is on the horizon, I’m not sure. What’S going to happen in this case, I have to say, though, from my perspective, I wouldn’t mind if we didn’t have to see another version of the pixel slate. That was just a bizarre device that I didn’t enjoy using all that much the pixel book. On the other hand, maybe you’re a reincarnation in some sort of more budget-friendly device.
Maybe then you could make the case for it, but the idea of a close to $ 2,000 Chromebook or a $ 1,500 Chromebook. I just don’t know how appealing that is to the general public, because then you’re in Windows and Mac territory and that’s a tough for sales pitch, so we’ll have to wait and see what develops. Of course, time will tell as usual, but right now based on this report, it’s not looking so good for Google laptops, Google Chromebooks pixel books and, of course, the pixel slate the Google tablet you’ll. Let me know what you think down in the comments.
Do you think these products are dead? Are they going night-night or are we gon na see another version coming up shortly, possibly more competitive? I don’t know .