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Sounds familiar? Yep, they were essentially Chromebook Plus devices before Chromebook Plus was a thing.
So, today’s Google I/O keynote could be the perfect time to resurrect the Pixelbook. Sadly, I don’t think this will happen – when I’ve spoken to Google in the past it showed little interest in a follow-up to the Pixelbook Go.
But, if Google was to launch a surprise Pixelbook, it would make me very happy indeed.
Sadly, Google has never released a followup to the Pixelbook Go. It seems to have abandoned making its own Chromebooks, which is a real shame. The Pixelbook lineup showed how Chromebooks could be more than just budget laptops with a limited operating system.
Pixelbooks were premium and powerful Chromebooks that could go toe-to-toe with much more expensive premium laptops from the likes of Dell and Apple.
The Pixelbook Go was a brilliant Chromebook with superb performance, a lovely screen, long battery life and one of the best keyboards ever included in a laptop.
It was a joy to use, and for a few years it was my go-to laptop for when I needed to work away from my desk.
One thing that I would absolutely love to see at Google I/O is a follow-up to one of my favorite laptops of all time: the Pixelbook Go.
Chromebook Plus devices are more powerful variants of the humble Chromebook, and offer better specs, screens and build quality, all while keeping prices relatively cheap.
However, for people looking for the best cheap laptops, or laptops for students, for example, a standard Chromebook remains your best option. But, could Google I/O change that?
I’d also love to see some cool new Chromebooks. Maybe a showcase on how Chromebook Plus devices can stand out amongst the best Chromebooks on the market.
Could we see some new Pixel smartphones as well? There’s certainly convincing rumors that the Pixel 9 series will be launched today.
I’ll be interested in seeing what Google does here. I’ve had Pixel phones since the original, and my last handset was the Pixel Pro 7. So, I like Pixels a lot, especially how they come with relatively bloat-free versions of Android.
However, my Pixel Pro 7 sadly got run over (a long story that I don’t fully remember), so I have a new phone – the Samsung Galaxy 24 Ultra. If Google releases a Pixel 9 that surpasses that, I might be a bit upset.
Personally, while AI has huge potential, I’ve not really found any of the big AI releases to have fundamentally changed my day-to-day life. So, I’ll be interested to see if Google can change that.
Otherwise, as an owner of an Android smartphone, I’ll be really keen to see what Google has in store with Android 15, which is likely to appear.
We’ll likely hear more about what Gemini can do, as well as how it integrates into Google’s major products, such as the Chrome browser and Pixel smartphones.
So, what’s everyone looking forward to at this year’s I/O event? There is a huge amount of excitement about artificial intelligence, and it seems like Google is going to be doubling down with its AI chatbot Gemini.
If you want to watch along with the live stream, which starts at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm BST (or May 15 at 3am AEST), then check out our guide on how to watch Google I/O 2024.
As I mention above, we’ll have Phil Berne, our US Phones Editor, on the ground at the event in California (lucky him), while myself and a lot of the TechRadar team will be following along online from the much less sunny climes of New York and London.
Hello! Welcome to our Google I/O liveblog! I’ll be running this live blog as the hype builds for what Google is going to show today.
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