In terms of quality or sales?
Quality.
I'm quite liking the Tab better than the Slate currently, but not sure. I don't think I want a tablet as big as the Slate. I prefer the 10" screen and form factor of the Tab.
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Pixel slate discussion thread?
- Thread starter slitherjef
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Quality.
I'm quite liking the Tab better than the Slate currently, but not sure. I don't think I want a tablet as big as the Slate. I prefer the 10" screen and form factor of the Tab.
If you prefer the 10” form factor, the Tab is probably your best non-iPad option. But I feel that the Slate will probably start off wonkier but get better before too long.
As for hardware, it’s a toss up. The Pixelbook is amazing hardware, and this could be as well. But Samsung makes great hardware and has for years.
Yeah. I also feel ChromeOS is probably going to be better if productivity is your thing.
Sadness. I realized I probably shouldn’t get it and had to cancel because I can be an adult and not randomly buy things I can’t afford.
Hacked!!!
It was around the time that I added up all my debts, realized buying something new while filing for Title 13, that I finally pushed the cancel button.
>_>
Edit: Most is Student Loans.
Smart man! I think this one is still worth sitting out anyway. I do think the next round will allow chrome to be more polished and hopefully a 120hz screen ala the iPad pro.
Honestly Chrome OS is not ready to be a tablet yet...I have the updated Chrome OS 70 on my 2 in 1 chromebook.....it’s a mess....needs more work.
I agree chrome os 70 needs a bit of work, but it really took a big step toward offering a true tablet and notebook mode on the Pixelbook.
Really eager to see Slate reviews before I pull the trigger on a Tab S4 on Black Friday, but why do I foresee another year, another bust for a Google tablet?
Because the tablet market is basically dead if your tablet isn’t named the iPad?
The Pixel Slate is not going to be a bust(*)... but I'll explain...
(*) The Pixel Slate can run web apps, Chrome OS apps, Android apps, Linux apps, and (using CrossOver) Windows apps. It has a desktop-strength browser with full support for extensions, near-full support for USB peripherals, and is capable of doing a ton of things that the iPad cannot. For the people for who those things are important, the PS is not going to be a bust.
If I didn't currently have a Pixelbook, I'd have pre-ordered the Slate. Chrome OS 70 has really helped in terms of making these 2-in-1s feel more like tablets in tablet mode. Yes, more work is needed, but it is really coming together nicely.
At this point its a really big uphill battle for Google. There are just pretty big obstacles to try to overcome they’re playing catch up to an ecosystem with a big head start.
And it’s not like Google is just starting now. They tried tablets years ago and just couldn’t come close to breaking through. I’ve been trying to rack my brain to figure out what they need to do different and I honestly can’t see the path for them to reverse it. The iPad is the success it is primarily because of the app ecosystem and the great hardware. They may be able to make some stellar hardware (though that’s not a guarantee) but they just don’t have the app support. Devs have no incentive to develop for Android tablets.
At this point, it seems analogous to Windows phone and its inability to penetrate the smartphone market.
Pretty much the same for the Wear OS. Google might have a better chance here but they’d have to put forth a huge, prolonged effort. The CPUs available to them are straight garbage—they’d need to go the Apple route and develop their own, something that will take time. They need to build their own watch OS into something useful...pick a strategy (i.e. Apple and health) and develop their ecosystem. The appeal of the Apple Watch is first, that it’s well made, attractive hardware that has developer support and now, a burgeoning health and healthcare ecosystem building around it. Apple also has a substantial customer base that is also more prone to spend money on ancillary products, especially they’re very own products. That’s another huge obstacle.
[doublepost=1542130130][/doublepost]
But that’s the problem. The people who want to run Chrome, Android, Linux, and Windows apps on a single tablet device is miniscule, at most.
You make it sound like only people who must run apps from all of those platforms would be interested. Chromebooks are growing in popularity and sales. When Google added support for Android apps, that pulled in some people who needed a little more than what pure Chrome OS offered. Their inclusion of Linux apps will pull more people, not cause people to think, "oh, I don't need to run Linux apps so I'm not interested in a Chrome OS tablet".
The Pixel Slate is going to go toe-to-toe with the iPad Pro. Except for those creative-types who are into multimedia production, the Slate stands up pretty well. Chrome OS has an expandable foundation. Google has shown that they want to expand Chrome OS further. In contrast, Apple has shown it wants to advance the hardware but do the bare minimum in expanding iOS beyond where it is already.
Agree to disagree. The Pixel Slate may be very versatile and allow things the iPad Pro cannot do but it will barely register a blip on the sales radar. The Surface Pro or Surface Go is every bit, if not more capable as a productivity tool, offers much more than the Pixel Slate, in fact, and can be had for less. And it also doesn’t compete with iPads in sales.
To be clear, I’m not posting here professing the iPad as a superior device. But the Slate won’t even register as a speed bump against sales of the iPP or even Surface devices. And there are much cheaper options if you want to run Chrome OS, Linux or Linux Apps, or Windows. The Slate is a niche device for a very niche target customer, capable as it may be.
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These devices aren't targeted for the average consumer but more for developers, devops, advanced users, STEM education, etc. It just happens to also make a great consumption device.
ChromeOS will one up and possibly replace Android which is already used as a near complete development platform.
https://mobile.twitter.com/termux?lang=en
ChromeOS will one up and possibly replace Android which is already used as a near complete development platform.
https://mobile.twitter.com/termux?lang=en
Sigh...
... But on the bright side, Google is making it really easy to not succumb to impulse purchasing with a 3 to 4 week delivery time on the i5 128gb model at least
Anyone else notice the bezels on the thing? I mean not pixel book level or anything but not iPad thin either.
My interest in the think is mildly tepid and actually a wee bit warmer then for the XL 3.
I would love to see some reviews of the thing. By the time it'd ship I think I would have forgotten I had ordered it...
... But on the bright side, Google is making it really easy to not succumb to impulse purchasing with a 3 to 4 week delivery time on the i5 128gb model at least
Anyone else notice the bezels on the thing?
I mean not pixel book level or anything but not iPad thin either.My interest in the think is mildly tepid and actually a wee bit warmer then for the XL 3.
I would love to see some reviews of the thing. By the time it'd ship I think I would have forgotten I had ordered it...
Sigh...
... But on the bright side, Google is making it really easy to not succumb to impulse purchasing with a 3 to 4 week delivery time on the i5 128gb model at least
Anyone else notice the bezels on the thing?
My interest in the think is mildly tepid and actually a wee bit warmer then for the XL 3.
I would love to see some reviews of the thing. By the time it'd ship I think I would have forgotten I had ordered it...
They couldve made it more modern looking.....agreed..its just not a good looking device and the one color option does not help the case....im just waiting to see if Lenovo will release the Yoga Chromebook 4K anytime soon...thats my next device and will replace my acer chromebook spin 15 (processor really needs a great boost). I prefer 15 inch chromebooks for productivity purposes.......
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Genuine question for Chromebook users here. What’s the appeal of this device over:
1) A significantly cheaper alternate Chromebook
2) A Pixelbook that would cost at least $200 less
3) An equally priced or cheaper Windows machine, either laptop or tablet 2-in-1.
4) Or even an equally equiped and priced Macbook Air (assuming you like MacOS)
I won’t include the iPP because I think the disparities in many productivity areas are well documented in this thread.
If I was given a $1200 budget (cost of the $999 Slate paired with the $199 keyboard) to get a single device, I think the Slate/keyboard combo would be last on my list behind all of the above alternatives.
I’ve owned a few Chromebooks (a couple of budget priced Samsung and Asus devices as well as a Pixelbook) and like a lot about Chrome OS. If push came to shove and I was told I had to get a Chromebook for my day-to-day machine, I’d probably overspend and get a Pixelbook as I find it a more well rounded machine vs. the Slate and every bit as capable, if not more so. But I also know I could get 90% of the way there with a much cheaper Chromebook.
I’m just trying to figure out why getting the Slate is someone’s best option.
1) A significantly cheaper alternate Chromebook
2) A Pixelbook that would cost at least $200 less
3) An equally priced or cheaper Windows machine, either laptop or tablet 2-in-1.
4) Or even an equally equiped and priced Macbook Air (assuming you like MacOS
)I won’t include the iPP because I think the disparities in many productivity areas are well documented in this thread.
If I was given a $1200 budget (cost of the $999 Slate paired with the $199 keyboard) to get a single device, I think the Slate/keyboard combo would be last on my list behind all of the above alternatives.
I’ve owned a few Chromebooks (a couple of budget priced Samsung and Asus devices as well as a Pixelbook) and like a lot about Chrome OS. If push came to shove and I was told I had to get a Chromebook for my day-to-day machine, I’d probably overspend and get a Pixelbook as I find it a more well rounded machine vs. the Slate and every bit as capable, if not more so. But I also know I could get 90% of the way there with a much cheaper Chromebook.
I’m just trying to figure out why getting the Slate is someone’s best option.
Genuine question for Chromebook users here. What’s the appeal of this device over:
1) A significantly cheaper alternate Chromebook
2) A Pixelbook that would cost at least $200 less
3) An equally priced or cheaper Windows machine, either laptop or tablet 2-in-1.
4) Or even an equally equiped and priced Macbook Air (assuming you like MacOS
I won’t include the iPP because I think the disparities in many productivity areas are well documented in this thread.
If I was given a $1200 budget (cost of the $999 Slate paired with the $199 keyboard) to get a single device, I think the Slate/keyboard combo would be last on my list behind all of the above alternatives.
I’ve owned a few Chromebooks (a couple of budget priced Samsung and Asus devices as well as a Pixelbook) and like a lot about Chrome OS. If push came to shove and I was told I had to get a Chromebook for my day-to-day machine, I’d probably overspend and get a Pixelbook as I find it a more well rounded machine vs. the Slate and every bit as capable, if not more so. But I also know I could get 90% of the way there with a much cheaper Chromebook.
I’m just trying to figure out why getting the Slate is someone’s best option.
This is a premium tablet that runs ChromeOS, something that isn’t really out there. I have a Pixelbook, and using it as a tablet is awkward. First you have the sheer thickness, then you have around .8lbs more weight. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but I’m telling you holding it at night isn’t as fun.
Then you have the better screen on the Slate over the Pixelbook. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the fact that front firing speakers on a tablet are better than speakers firing through the keyboard and rendering audio a lot more muted when you actually use the Pixelbook as a tablet or in tent mode.
I think you captured the situation very accurately. When I use my Pixelbook as a "tablet", it isn't when sitting on the couch or in bed, but at the desk or conference table as a digital notebook. It's great in that mode.
I'm with @jamesrick80. My personally preferred "ultimate" device would be a Lenovo Yoga Book running ChromeOS. But I know that isn't going to happen.
From a hardware perspective, the Pixelbook and Pixel Slate are devices that are on either side of the "converged device" dividing line. These are essentially no different than what the Microsoft Surface line offers, except that, IMO, the underlying OS (ChromeOS) is more nimble in spanning that divide.
Pretty decent looking alternative to Google’s own keyboard folio.
https://www.brydge.com/pages/gtype-keyboard-for-google-pixel-slate
https://www.brydge.com/pages/gtype-keyboard-for-google-pixel-slate