5 ms·

I'm not sure why this is better than the cheapest macbook air?Similar battery life, similar processor. 4gb more memory, smaller hard drive. And the cheapest pix

I'm not sure why this is better than the cheapest macbook air?Similar battery life, similar processor. 4gb more memory, smaller hard drive. And the cheapest pixel is $100 more. What do I get for that $100? For me the downsides are: can only use apps from the chrome web store, no unix command line (maybe it exists and I don't know?). I'm really happy someone is trying to compete, but not sure why I would buy this.

vlunkr 12y ago
Hmm, this is a great point. In my mind, the only reason to get anything running ChromeOS is if it's dirt cheap. You would get so much more value out of something that can run OSX.
friendcomputer 12y ago
If you want a full featured local linux command line, you can switch to developer mode and install one in a chroot via something like https://github.com/dnschneid/crouton https://github.com/dnschneid/crouton This does sidestep some of the security features of the device, but it's fine if you really want it. Or you can just ssh somewhere.
- rbanffy 12y ago
  I found OSX with MacPorts to be quite enough most of the time. I can run editors and such on the Mac side and test the application from within a small VM.
  - darcyparker 12y ago
    Not homebrew?
    - hutattedonmyarm 12y ago
      both is possible
    - rbanffy 12y ago
      I've had some breakage with Brew, so, I tend to prefer MacPorts. Not that much of a difference between them for what I do.
bluedino 12y ago
Boots in seconds. Unattended OS upgrades. Doesn't get viruses. Nevermind, Macs have those features too.
smackfu 12y ago
This is Retina, Macbook Air is not.
- swombat 12y ago
  The new MacBook is retina, no?
  - philippnagel 12y ago
    Yep it is.
  - bduerst 12y ago
    The new Macbook starts at $1299. I though this was an Air/Chromebook comparison?
dublinben 12y ago
The screen is significantly better, and is touch-capable. You cannot get such a good screen from Apple, even on a $3000 MacbookPro.
- deedubaya 12y ago
  I can't see how significantly better that screen is with all those fingerprints on it :o
  - jfoster 12y ago
    The iPad screen is recognized as good, despite having touch.
genericuser 12y ago
A 2560x1700 resolution screen instead of a 1440x900 resolution screen
- EC1 12y ago
  Doesn't the new Macbook come in 2304 * 1440?
  - genericuser 12y ago
    The new Macbook is not a Macbook Air. The post I was replying to was specifically talking about Macbook Air. All its comparisons were with the $899 existing Macbook Air not the new Macbook.
    - EC1 12y ago
      Ah okay carry on then.
- bsimpson 12y ago
  My Chromebook Pixel is hands down the best screen I've seen on a computer, and my work laptop is a Retina MacBook Pro. My only complaint is that it's really sensitive to temporary burn-in; then again, so is every other retina laptop I've seen.
  - mitchell209 12y ago
    Can you explain why the pixel is so much better than the Retina MacBook's screen? My retina is by far the best screen I've ever seen, but I've never had the opportunity to use a Pixel. FWIW, I've never had any burn in issues with my first gen Retina MacBook in all the years I've owned it. Although based on many of the complaints I've read, that's because I was lucky to get the better screen.
    - bsimpson 12y ago
      Honestly, I find the backlight less obnoxious. I can use my Pixel indefinitely with no complaints. The Retina is the only computer I've used that hurts my eyes after a couple hours of work. The screen's also 8% sharper. (220dpi vs 239dpi). I don't have them side-by-side right now, so it's hard to say if that part's noticeable. I mostly base my judgement on the quality of the backlight in conjunction with the super-high DPI and touchscreen.
EC1 12y ago
I don't know a single person in real life that has a chromebook. Who is buying these?
- jvandonsel 12y ago
  I got some low-end chromebooks for my teenage daughters. It's the perfect device for them. Cheap to replace if they get lost/stolen/dropped, and I don't need to worry about viruses.
- dvirsky 12y ago
  A lot of people apparently: http://www.zdnet.com/article/top-3-holiday-computers-on-amazon-were-chromebooks/ http://www.zdnet.com/article/top-3-holiday-computers-on-amaz... If I were to buy a second computer for travelling and lightweight stuff at home, and not developing, I guess a Chromebook would be a nice choice. But not at the price of a Macbook Air, though.
  - jethro_tell 12y ago
    I'll buy it and run linux on it. I've long ago put all my data on my own storage boxes and all my systems have 64GB SSDs.
- handelaar 12y ago
  People I know who aren't interested in computing per se. They are buying them for children (to avoid malware and viruses and the general cruft of maintaining an OS), and for themselves (because, again, viruses and cruft). Meanwhile, this OP may well be about a very expensive Chromebook but the other killer advantage of them is they're very lightweight, have very long battery life, and are VERY cheap. If you're sick of Windows and the fact that it just gets slower and slower over time (and everybody is), and you're not the sort of person who has 30 tabs open (which is more or less everybody but us), and you actually need to have a device you can type on, then they're great. I recommend them to most 'civilians' I know after making sure they don't actually need one of the few things it can't handle.
- simplyluke 12y ago
ajmarsh 12y ago
To get a shell Ctrl+Alt+T.
jrochkind1 12y ago
You get a touchscreen. But, yeah.
largote 12y ago
The processor on this is significantly faster even though both are an "i5".

vlunkr 12y ago

Hmm, this is a great point. In my mind, the only reason to get anything running ChromeOS is if it's dirt cheap. You would get so much more value out of something that can run OSX.

friendcomputer 12y ago

If you want a full featured local linux command line, you can switch to developer mode and install one in a chroot via something like https://github.com/dnschneid/crouton https://github.com/dnschneid/crouton This does sidestep some of the security features of the device, but it's fine if you really want it. Or you can just ssh somewhere.

rbanffy 12y ago
I found OSX with MacPorts to be quite enough most of the time. I can run editors and such on the Mac side and test the application from within a small VM.
- darcyparker 12y ago
  Not homebrew?
  - hutattedonmyarm 12y ago
    both is possible
  - rbanffy 12y ago
    I've had some breakage with Brew, so, I tend to prefer MacPorts. Not that much of a difference between them for what I do.

bluedino 12y ago

Boots in seconds. Unattended OS upgrades. Doesn't get viruses. Nevermind, Macs have those features too.

smackfu 12y ago

This is Retina, Macbook Air is not.

swombat 12y ago
The new MacBook is retina, no?
- philippnagel 12y ago
  Yep it is.
- bduerst 12y ago
  The new Macbook starts at $1299. I though this was an Air/Chromebook comparison?

dublinben 12y ago

The screen is significantly better, and is touch-capable. You cannot get such a good screen from Apple, even on a $3000 MacbookPro.

deedubaya 12y ago
I can't see how significantly better that screen is with all those fingerprints on it :o
- jfoster 12y ago
  The iPad screen is recognized as good, despite having touch.

genericuser 12y ago

A 2560x1700 resolution screen instead of a 1440x900 resolution screen

EC1 12y ago
Doesn't the new Macbook come in 2304 * 1440?
- genericuser 12y ago
  The new Macbook is not a Macbook Air. The post I was replying to was specifically talking about Macbook Air. All its comparisons were with the $899 existing Macbook Air not the new Macbook.
  - EC1 12y ago
    Ah okay carry on then.
bsimpson 12y ago
My Chromebook Pixel is hands down the best screen I've seen on a computer, and my work laptop is a Retina MacBook Pro. My only complaint is that it's really sensitive to temporary burn-in; then again, so is every other retina laptop I've seen.
- mitchell209 12y ago
  Can you explain why the pixel is so much better than the Retina MacBook's screen? My retina is by far the best screen I've ever seen, but I've never had the opportunity to use a Pixel. FWIW, I've never had any burn in issues with my first gen Retina MacBook in all the years I've owned it. Although based on many of the complaints I've read, that's because I was lucky to get the better screen.
  - bsimpson 12y ago
    Honestly, I find the backlight less obnoxious. I can use my Pixel indefinitely with no complaints. The Retina is the only computer I've used that hurts my eyes after a couple hours of work. The screen's also 8% sharper. (220dpi vs 239dpi). I don't have them side-by-side right now, so it's hard to say if that part's noticeable. I mostly base my judgement on the quality of the backlight in conjunction with the super-high DPI and touchscreen.

EC1 12y ago

I don't know a single person in real life that has a chromebook. Who is buying these?

jvandonsel 12y ago
I got some low-end chromebooks for my teenage daughters. It's the perfect device for them. Cheap to replace if they get lost/stolen/dropped, and I don't need to worry about viruses.
dvirsky 12y ago
A lot of people apparently: http://www.zdnet.com/article/top-3-holiday-computers-on-amazon-were-chromebooks/ http://www.zdnet.com/article/top-3-holiday-computers-on-amaz... If I were to buy a second computer for travelling and lightweight stuff at home, and not developing, I guess a Chromebook would be a nice choice. But not at the price of a Macbook Air, though.
- jethro_tell 12y ago
  I'll buy it and run linux on it. I've long ago put all my data on my own storage boxes and all my systems have 64GB SSDs.
handelaar 12y ago
People I know who aren't interested in computing per se. They are buying them for children (to avoid malware and viruses and the general cruft of maintaining an OS), and for themselves (because, again, viruses and cruft). Meanwhile, this OP may well be about a very expensive Chromebook but the other killer advantage of them is they're very lightweight, have very long battery life, and are VERY cheap. If you're sick of Windows and the fact that it just gets slower and slower over time (and everybody is), and you're not the sort of person who has 30 tabs open (which is more or less everybody but us), and you actually need to have a device you can type on, then they're great. I recommend them to most 'civilians' I know after making sure they don't actually need one of the few things it can't handle.
simplyluke 12y ago

ajmarsh 12y ago

To get a shell Ctrl+Alt+T.

jrochkind1 12y ago

You get a touchscreen. But, yeah.

largote 12y ago

The processor on this is significantly faster even though both are an "i5".