Google-branded Chromebooks aren’t actually dead, says hardware exec

After telling press at Mobile World Congress (MWC) that Google has “no plans for Google-branded laptops,” Google hardware senior vice-president Rick Osterloh has taken to Twitter to assure the masses that Google-branded Chromebooks will, in fact, live on.

“Google’s own Chromebooks aren’t ‘dead’ as has been reported,” tweets Osterloh. “They will live on, we just have no plans to share at this time.”

Though this may be a simple misunderstanding as Osterloh is painting it, his statement from MWC did seem to speak to a shift in priority for the company.

Hey all, Google's own Chromebooks aren't "dead" as has been reported. They will live on, we just have *no plans to share at this time* 😉

— Rick Osterloh (@rosterloh) March 2, 2017

TechCrunch quoted Osterloh as saying: “Chrome OS is a huge initiative in the company. Google hasn’t backed away from laptops. We have the number two market share in the U.S. and U.K. — but we have no plans for Google-branded laptops.”

By Google-branded laptops, the executive was referring to the company’s Pixel line, which saw two iterations. The statement also indicated the end of the line for the rumoured ‘Pixel 3’ laptop running ‘Andromeda OS’ — a hybrid of Chrome and Android.

It’s unclear why the executive felt the need to walk back his previous statement, though perhaps the flurry of news surrounding the Chromebook Pixel’s death showed the company that interest in Google-branded laptops is still very much alive.

Source: Rick Osterloh Via: Android Police