At this point in 2020, we have a lot of Chromebooks in different development phases. From a slew of ‘Hatch’ (10th gen Intel) Chromebooks that are still starting with many more MediaTek powered devices like the Lenovo Chromebook Duet to the AMD powered ‘Zork’ devices and more, there are plenty of new ones Chromebooks on the horizon to make Chrome OS’s head spin. Without a doubt, there are now more upcoming devices in development in the Chromebook world than ever before at any point in history.
However, there is one Chromebook that many of us are on the hunt for week after week that still needs to be shown: the next #madebyGoogle Chromebook. Not long ago, I even admitted the fact that Google might not be making a new Chromebook in-house for the foreseeable future. If you see how the ecosystem is flourishing now, who can blame them if they just sit for a year or two? Finally, if Google’s intention was to finally set the bar for Chromebook manufacturers with the Pixelbook, Pixel Slate and Pixelbook Go, I think we all agree that their mission is complete at this point.
Although I think everything’s true, as a big fan of Google’s hardware, I just can not care less. I do not care if Google does its part and puts manufacturers on a good track. I do not care if Google has achieved what they suggest. I do not care if there is no need for a brand new Pixelbook: the fact of the matter is I want one. And I’m not alone here. I see comments and constantly receive emails about users who want a new Chromebook and want one designed by Google. This is not to overshadow other Chromebooks. I love the Acer Spin 713 I’m typing this right now, but it is not a Pixelbook. Nothing is exactly that.
There’s something that’s just inherently better about Google’s own Chromebooks: an attention to detail, a build quality, and a thoughtful design that is not only appealing at launch, but stands the test of time. Check out a Pixelbook the next time you see one and tell me another 3-year-old laptop that looks just as distinctive is still as aesthetically pleasing as it was on day one. I’ll save you some time: there’s nothing else. Even the 7-year-old Chromebook Pixel retains an air of modernity, a few laptops can boast of that time. The current Pixelbook Go is designed in the same vein and every time I pick it up, I have an impulsive desire to just come back again because of the way it looks and feels. Every time.
Proof of another Pixelbook may come this year
Some of you may think I’m crazy, but if you’m in love with a Google Chromebook, you know what I’m talking about and you should be as excited as I am about the fact that we have some nice evidence that a new Google Chromebook is in the works and could realistically be launched by the end of this year just like the past 3 internal Google laptops before it.
Say hello to ‘Halvor’ again and if you – like me – brushed through this baseboard when we originally reported on it, you will not be defeated. You see, ‘Halvor’ is one of an absolute gaggle of new Chromebooks coming out based on the ‘Volteer’ baseboard. “Voltage” is the main board used to usher in the era of Intel Tiger Lake Chromebooks. These devices will have things like Intel’s new Xe integrated graphics, a 10nm process for higher speeds and improved battery life, support for 4K screens, better webcams, and USB 4. Overall, they’ll be a fantastic update for today’s Chromebooks which will be launched in 2020 so far and will be the next generation to carry the flagship banner for Chrome OS in 2021.
Now that we’ve dealt with re-introductions, let’s go to the evidence. Last night, as I was searching through the Chromium Repositories, I came across an insert that contained the message I had been searching for at this point for months: a message about the assistant key. You see, the only Chromebooks ever created with the Special Assistant key are all devices made by Google. The Pixelbook started the trend in 2017, followed by the Pixel Slate in 2018 and the Pixelbook Go in 2019. Sure, there are a few Chrome OS keyboards with this special key (Brydge and Logitech make them), but no Chromebooks other than Google’s own it. ‘Halvor’ is the only exception:
Voltage: Add support for ASSISTANT key on Halvor
Halvor uses the METAL DOME keyboard, which supports ASSISTANT key.
BUG = b: 166194260 TEST = scp 81-halvor-keyboard.hwdb in /etc/udev/hwdb.d udevadm hwdb -update reboot DUT, then to start Google Assistant with ASSISTANT key
via the Gerrit Chromium
Add to that the fact that this change is being made for just one ‘Volteer’ device in ‘Halvor’ instead of over the whole plan for all ‘Volteer’ derivatives and you have some nice evidence that we’re looking forward to the next Google Chromebook . We thought at one point that we would be sending all Chromebooks with an Assistant key on the keyboard, but that just wasn’t the case. For whatever reason, Google has always kept this to itself and it is this fact that makes us feel very confident that ‘Halvor’ is a #madebyGoogle Chromebook.
The timeline ‘Halvor’ is also stepping up
There are a few more points that fit very well with a Pixelbook story for ‘Halvor’ if you look a little deeper. First is the general timeline. With the addition of the Assistant key being added just a few days ago, I was a little doubtful that this device could possibly appear in the fall like other Pixelbooks have. However, if you look at the timelines of other Google Chromebooks, ‘Halvor’ has plenty of time for development, started life in March of 2020 and is based on ‘Volteer’ which started in September of 2019.
For reference, the Pixel Slate began life in April of 2018 and launched in the fall of that year. For a device on a fresh, new baseboard (the Pixelbook Go would ride the same board in 2019) to launch in April and ship in November is pretty impressive. The Slate was also not a standard device, and had to remove the obstacles of a new display, a new form factor, and a custom keyboard solution. If you think about it, that’s probably why the launch was a bit cluttered.
Going back to the original Pixelbook, the assistant key was added to it at the end of June this year. Back then, the Chromebook Assistant was not even a thing, so the fact that Google added the key only 3 months before it announced the Pixelbook, tells me that this step is not essential for the overall development cycle of a device, After all, it is difference in timing on the Pixelbook and ‘Halvor’ for adding the Assistant key only two months. Since the Assistant was set up in Chrome OS at this point, a later addition is actually not at all surprising.
Finally, a Tiger Lake Chromebook is a logical fit for the next Pixelbook and why I think we could look at a Pixelbook 2 instead of something like a Pixelbook Go. The Pixelbook Go launched with a processor that at the time was more than a year old to hold prices, so the fact that ‘Halvor’ is built with the best available silicon means that Google is likely to make a flagship this time around. Users have been asking for a good follow-up of the original Pixelbook for quite some time now, so this move would make a lot of sense for Google at this stage.
With the adoption of Chromebook by the roof in 2020 and the platform growing in every possible way, the Pixelbook 2 may be Google’s first truly launched Chromebook made and designed by them. The Chromebook Pixels (2013 & 2015), the Pixelbook and the Pixel Slate were too expensive at a time when wider Chromebook adoption was not what it is now. A well-made, very-spec, Google-y Chromebook launched before the end of the year could finally deliver the mass-appeal Chromebook from Google that we’ve all been waiting for. Now that we know that ‘Halvor’ could be that Chromebook, we’ll keep a close eye on further clues we may find.
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