Google is killing its Pixelbook laptop, according to an internal memo reported byThe Verge. The company has also “shut down” the team that was working on the next generation of the device, which was reportedly “far along in development.”
The company apparently opted to shift resources away from the premium Chromebook in an effort to cut costs. Members of the Pixelbook team were reportedly moved to other roles at Google.
The move means Google is officially done making laptops after nearly a decade of experimenting with notebooks. In 2013, the company introduced the Chromebook Pixel — the first Google-made hardware to get Pixel branding — and refreshed it with a pricier model two years later. Google shifted strategies again in 2017, when the first Pixelbook debuted as a high-end alternative to the typically low-cost Chromebooks. The 2-in-1 started at $ 999, and came with an optional Pixelbook Pen accessory.
In 2019, Google introduced the $ 649 Pixelbook Go as a more affordable, but still higher-end, Chromebook with Pixel branding. Though the Pixel-branded Chromebooks were meant to show off just how much was possible when Chrome OS was combined with more premium hardware, the devices never seemed to be as popular as the cheaper alternatives that have long dominated classrooms, particularly during the pandemic.
Google didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
