Google exits the laptop game by killing the Pixel Book

The Google Pixelbook development team has been disbanded. The project was canceled as a result of Google ‘s recent cost-cutting measures, according to a person familiar with the situation .

The device was under development and was due to be launched next year.

Just a few months ago, Google was still considering continuing to sell the Pixelbook. Google’s head of hardware Rick Osterlo told The Verge that “we’re going to offer the Pixelbook in the future” ahead of the annual I/O Developers Conference. But he also noted that with the release of the first Pixelbook in 2017 , the Chromebook market has been transformed.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai has been announcing for months that the company will slow down recruitment and cut some programs. In other circumstances, as he explained in a July memo, ” in some cases it means consolidating where investments overlap and streamlining processes,” he commented in support of the cuts.

Google does not share future product plans or personnel information; however, we strive to create and maintain a line of Google products that are innovative and beneficial to our users.

As for our employees, in those moments when we change priorities, we are working on transferring team members to other devices and services.”

— Laura Breen via The Verge

With Pixel smartphones in particular, Google’s hardware strategy has been to build high-quality products, as well as trying to teach other manufacturers to do the same. The company began buying Pixel phones to showcase the potential of Google’s Android operating system.

Going forward, it is clear that the business will focus on tablets and smartwatches as this is where the Android ecosystem needs them.

Another possibility is that the company, after years of trying to produce high-tech, cutting-edge Chromebooks, has come to the conclusion that educational institutions and students are likely to remain the best users of ChromeOS , and that those users will never be willing to pay Google’s prices.

Google recently stepped up its performance with the expected release of the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro . Frankly, Google has a long history of ditching initiatives before venturing out again, so we’ll have to wait and see the company’s approach to Pixel laptops.