The Chromebook Pixel, Google's ultra-premium laptop designed to showcase Chrome OS, may be getting an update over two years since the original model was announced. Renee Niemi, who runs Google's Android and Chrome programs for work and education, reportedly confirmed the device on stage at the TeamWork 2015 partner event. The presentation was previously available on YouTube but has since been taken down, according to OMG Chrome, which transcribed the relevant portion as follows:
"We do have a new Pixel coming out and it will be coming out soon. We will be selling it but I just have to set your expectations: this is a development platform. This is really a proof of concept. We don’t make very many of these — we really don’t. And […] our developers and our Googlers consume 85% of what we produce. But yes, we do have a new Pixel coming out."The Verge has contacted Google for confirmation of these comments.
If true, Niemi's remarks indicate what was probably already apparent to anyone that saw the original Pixel's $1,299 price tag: it's not a consumer device, and it's intended to show off the potential of the platform on better hardware than you'd get with a $300 model from Acer or Dell. But for developers, or any Chrome OS fans with money to burn, news of a possible update — hopefully one that does something about battery life — will be welcome.