Chromebook Pixel: Google takes on Apple

The £1,049 laptop will be the first computer Google has made itself, and will come with a terabyte of online storage.

Google Chromebooks use an operating system called Chrome OS and encourage users to adopt the web for as much of their computing as possible, including using Google’s online services such as email, as well as Google Docs and Google Music.

Although Chromebooks are increasingly useful offline, they only function fully with a web connection. Previous models have been made by Samsung, Acer, Lenovo and HP and have captured up to 10 per cent on notebook sales at Currys and PC World. Samsung’s model has also been the top seller on the Amazon chart of US laptops since it launched late last year. The addition of offline email access has been a major boost for the previously struggling line.

The Pixel will be the first touchscreen Chromebook on the market, which will see it challenge Windows 8 and, Google claims, make it easier to multitask with different apps and swipe through photographs.

In a blog post for Google, Linus Upson, Vice President of Engineering, emphasised the high quality of the design, and released pictures of a device that takes its inspiration from the generation of ultrabooks that came after Apple launched its aluminium MacBook Pro and MacBook Air ranges.

^{Google's previous Chromebook has been an American bestseller}

Upson claimed that the Pixel “brings together the best in hardware, software and design to inspire the next generation of Chromebooks. We set out to rethink all elements of a computer in order to design the best laptop possible, especially for power users who have fully embraced the cloud. The philosophy of Chrome has always been to minimize the “chrome” of the browser. In much the same way, the goal of the Pixel is to make the pixels disappear, giving people the best web experience.”

Google is aiming to take on Apple’s high quality display, which the iPhone-maker markets as ‘Retina’, by offering a screen with 239 pixels per inch. Google claims this is “the highest pixel density of any laptop screen on the market today”. Apple's retina display MacBooks offer around 220ppi, and some experts claim that even this is at a level beyond that which the human eye can see.

Upson added that the emphasis on design meant “the body of the Pixel is made from an anodized aluminum alloy to create a smooth and durable surface; vents are hidden, screws are invisible and the stereo speakers are seamlessly tucked away beneath the backlit keyboard. The touchpad is made from etched glass, analyzed and honed using a laser microscope to ensure precise navigation.”

The Pixel is powered by an Intel Core i5 Processor and uses solid stade memory. A 4G version will launch in America in April, while in the UK it will be sold online and via Currys and PC World.