Submitted by Google’s Pixelbook is some beautiful, well-built hardware, but its use of Chrome OS means that for many people, it will be too limited to be useful. Although Chrome OS is no longer entirely dependent on Web applications – it can also be used to run Android applications, and Linux application support is also in development – the lack of Windows support means that most traditional desktop applications are unusable.
But that may be changing due to indications that Google is adding Windows support to its hardware. Earlier this year, changes made to the Pixelbook’s firmware indicated that Google is working on a mode called AltOS that would allow switching between Chrome OS and an “alternative OS,” in some kind of dual-boot configuration. A couple candidates for that alternative OS are Google’s own Fuchsia and, of course, Windows.
The Pixelbook is a nice piece of kit, but Chrome OS simply isn’t good enough for me personally. The ability to run Windows would make it more desirable, but since it’s not even available in The Netherlands – or in most other places, for that matter – I doubt this will attract any new buyers.
What do you mean it’s not available in the Netherlands? ChromeIT is selling it: https://www.chromeit.nl/a-50357122/chromebooks/google-pixelbook-i5-8…
Sure, they import their stuff from the USA, but it’s available nonetheless.
I’m still gobsmacked by the theory that since it’s not available (which you’ve disproven) in the Netherlands that it can’t be successful.
I guess Thom’s never heard of the Ford F150 series.
There’s a difference between being popular, and attracting a new audience.
Windows 10 on a PixelBook? Really?
The PixelBook is a visually appealing piece of hardware yet if I wanted Windows, there are many systems I would purchase rather than a Windows 10 capable PixelBook.
Currently, getting Google’s own Fuchsia into the PixelBook requires a series of hacks which is a rather strange state of affairs given that the PixelBook is the hadrware tool used for developing Fuchsia.
Most likely this AltOS mode is more to ease the release of Fuchsia to the world than for enabling Windows.
There could be a positive side impact for the alternate operating systems out there. And validating the firmware/hardware through the Windows tests could be a first step in releasing open source drivers which could then be ported to say Haiku, HelenOS, Étoilé, and many others.
“There could be a positive side impact for the alternate operating systems out there. And validating the firmware/hardware through the Windows tests could be a first step in releasing open source drivers which could then be ported to say Haiku, HelenOS, Étoilé, and many others. [/q]”
This is absolutely the most positive aspect and I hope it extends to all Chromebooks. Current methods of getting a non web OS non Google dependent OS on a Chromebook for travel (like China where Google is non grata) are clunky, might not support sound / bluetooth and are not that stable through updates, because of the need for custom bios or the need to reuse the Chromebook kernel version.
Second most useful aspect is it will be possible to run iTunes :-). I would maintain a Win10 image just for that.
I was forgetting about situations like yours:
“Second most useful aspect is it will be possible to run iTunes :-). I would maintain a Win10 image just for that.”
However, would I want to keep a 25+GB image (on a 128 GB SSD) just for one application?
As there are more Windows systems than there are Apple ones in existence, it made sense for Apple to release a Windows version of iTunes.
The desire to have iPads, iPhones (and iPods) offering a plus-value over their Android based equivalents is likely what prevents Apple from releasing an Android version of iTunes. Fortunately, there are (open source) applications capable of managing the iTunes libraries on non-Apple/non-Windows systems.
While I am myself fishing for an affordable but also portable and relatively powerful laptop to run Linux on it, I can’t stop wondering: why? Why would Google turn themselves in yet another Windows OEM? What’s the benefit for Google? Given a dual boot, the vast majority of people would buy the device to simply run Windows on it.