Considering Chromebooks are geared towards students, the devices have always been rather fixed in terms of design. Almost all have been straight laptops without detachable elements. Google started to change this with the release of the Pixelbook. Now due for a refresh, the Pixelbook may be heading straight towards Microsoft Surface territory.
A leak suggests Google may be developing a Pixelbook that is detachable like Microsoft’s Surface Pro. Currently in development as Nocturne, the device is shrouded in mystery. However, a leaked video shows a Surface-like keyboard connector.
This would mean the screen can be detached from the keyboard, allowing the device to be a tablet PC or a full laptop. Microsoft has been doing this for years with the Surface Pro range. The company extended that to the Surface Book.
How do you know a leak is genuine? Well, a company quickly pulling the offending content is a good sign. Google did not take long to remove the video showing the device, suggesting it was an accidental release.
One mystery here is whether this device will be the Pixelbook 2 or another device. Google is thought to be working on a sequel to its laptop under the codename Atlas. This could mean two new Google Chromebooks in the near future, a Pixelbook 2 and a detachable device.
Dual Boot Support
Last month, we reported Google could bring a dual-boot mode to the Pixelbook 2. This would allow users to boot the device in either Chrome OS or Windows 10.
Chromebooks have just 16GB of internal storage. That points to Chrome’s always-connected model which relies on cloud for storage needs. In their current guise, devices will not have enough space to boot Windows 10.
Last Updated on April 9, 2020 12:09 pm CEST by Luke Jones
