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Apps & Software

Google’s Odd Move into Touchscreens

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By Douglas A. McIntyre Published
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courtesy of Google Inc.
What does Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) hope to attain by launching its own touchscreen laptop — the Chromebook Pixel? Does it believe the new machine’s Chrome innovations will allow it to compete with Microsoft Corp.’s (NASDAQ: MSFT) Windows 8, which runs on personal computers from multiple manufacturers? Why did Google not go to those same PC companies to launch its product? Perhaps because most of the hardware industry looks on the new software that powers the Google machine as a risk.

With the exception of the Google touchscreen technology, the Chrome Pixel has little to recommend it. The laptop retails for $1,299 for the WiFi-enabled version and $1,449 for the 4G-enabled one. It has a 12.85 inch high-definition display, which does not distinguish it much. Google’s primary promotion for the laptop is that it can change windows with the touch of a hand — not unlike Windows 8 PCs or the Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) iPad.

There is a reason that PC launches from second- and third-tier companies do not affect the market much. Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ), Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) and Lenovo have valuable and well-established brands. They have the e-commerce websites and store displays to make sales easier. Google has none of these things, which will make the Chromebook Pixel difficult to sell in volume.

Why did Google not set a partnership with Dell or HP? Going it alone is a big risk and a formula for failure, no matter how good the software is.

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About the Author Douglas A. McIntyre →

Douglas A. McIntyre is the co-founder, chief executive officer and editor in chief of 24/7 Wall St. and 24/7 Tempo. He has held these jobs since 2006.

McIntyre has written thousands of articles for 24/7 Wall St. He is an expert on corporate finance, the automotive industry, media companies and international finance. He has edited articles on national demographics, sports, personal income and travel.

His work has been quoted or mentioned in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, NBC News, Time, The New Yorker, HuffPost USA Today, Business Insider, Yahoo, AOL, MarketWatch, The Atlantic, Bloomberg, New York Post, Chicago Tribune, Forbes, The Guardian and many other major publications. McIntyre has been a guest on CNBC, the BBC and television and radio stations across the country.

A magna cum laude graduate of Harvard College, McIntyre also was president of The Harvard Advocate. Founded in 1866, the Advocate is the oldest college publication in the United States.

TheStreet.com, Comps.com and Edgar Online are some of the public companies for which McIntyre served on the board of directors. He was a Vicinity Corporation board member when the company was sold to Microsoft in 2002. He served on the audit committees of some of these companies.

McIntyre has been the CEO of FutureSource, a provider of trading terminals and news to commodities and futures traders. He was president of Switchboard, the online phone directory company. He served as chairman and CEO of On2 Technologies, the video compression company that provided video compression software for Adobe’s Flash. Google bought On2 in 2009.

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