Google’s Chromebook Pixel: 6 months in and still my favorite laptop ever
It’s now been just over half a year since I first received the Chromebook Pixel by Google. In the past six months, I’ve run a website, published a Chrome extension, created countless documents, designed dozens of presentations and complex spreadsheets, listened to all my music, edited videos (here’s one), and more – all on my Pixel, without ever needing to turn on my now very dusty Windows 7 laptop.
For me, Chrome OS is not a secondary OS, and my Pixel is not a secondary machine. I am able to accomplish practically anything on the Pixel, and the screen – that beautiful screen! – continues to wow me everyday.
In the past six months, I’ve learned that this thing is built like a tank. It has survived a few very minor drops without a ding or a scratch, and every hardware component continues to work as beautifully as the day I first unboxed this thing – the trackpad is marvelous, despite all the oil from my fingertips; there is not a single dead pixel anywhere on the screen that I can find; the backlit keyboard continues to shine on; and the stereo speakers under the keyboard are crisp and loud.
In fact, this thing just keeps getting better. Quickoffice is now turned on by default, and I’m enjoying all the improvements to the UI and the introduction of packaged apps. I’m living life 100% in the cloud, having uploaded literally everything on my old PC to Google Drive, so it’s now accessible wherever I happen to be – I’ve even started introducing Google Drive to my co-workers at the university where I work during the day (they’re impressed).
My only complaint is that it’s still too easy for this machine to overheat, and when that happens, the fan can get very loud. Otherwise, this is still my favorite laptop, and I don’t see myself getting a different one for a very long time. The Pixel remains the best way to experience Chrome OS and most of what Google has to offer.
