谷歌超级本策略内幕

    云计算已经火了一阵子。不过没多少人认为所有的计算都能在云端完成。“没多少人”的意思是——除了谷歌（Google）总部的智囊们，没多少人这么看。

    谷歌之前已经开始与多家硬件商联合生产Chromebook，现在，它开始认真测试技术用户是否完全能在云端实现数字生活这个想法。采用Chrome系统的低成本笔记本最早在2011年发售。它们只运行基于网络的应用，而不运行传统的桌面程序，也避免了光驱和大硬盘这类传统的笔记本配件。

    Chromebook起初反响平平，后来却逐渐受到市场青睐。不过总的来说，人们购买它的主要原因还是价格便宜。我个人对250美元的三星（Samsung）Chromebook赞不绝口，不是因为它有多么好，而是因为：第一，我家里已经有几台苹果Mac电脑了；第二，以这个低价位就能买到一台笔记本，而且我能接受一台只能上网的电脑的各种缺点，比如说没有iTunes或iPhoto，没有Skype，没有Minecraft（如果你不知道这是什么，随便问个三年级小孩吧），而文字处理和电子制表程序也不够好。

    现在，谷歌相信一些人想要完全过上云生活——不仅仅是因为它便宜——还因为它更好。周四谷歌发布了Chromebook Pixel。这款笔记本的时尚感和速度能与任何超级本媲美。【超极本始于英特尔（Intel），以提振一路下滑的PC机销量。不过到目前为止，好运尚未降临。】谷歌的Pixel拥有全尺寸键盘和高分辨率触摸屏，像许多新PC机一样采用Windows 8系统。谷歌分管Chrome和应用的高级副总裁桑达•皮采上周四在旧金山发布Pixel时说：“我们认为这是一款革命性的产品，它将引领人们的云生活。”也许吧。不过关注点在于，即将运往全球各地的Pixel价格高达惊人的1,299美元，这还是只支持Wifi的版本。将在四月发行、使用长期演进技术、连接高速细胞网络的版本价格将高达1,449美元。

    这款产品很可能不好卖。花上比这台基础版少100美元的价钱，你就能买到13英寸的苹果Macbook Air。起初正因为它的人气，才促使了超极本的诞生。Air可能没有触摸屏，不过你可以在上面进行任何你想要的云计算，同时还可以运行任何桌面程序。可以储存照片、音乐和视频。如果你愿意，还可以把它们备份在云系统里。

    谁会买Pixel呢？皮采说大多数公司已经接受了云计算的概念，同时使用Gmail和其他谷歌应用来满足自己的生产需要。市场缺少的就是真正好用的Chrome系统笔记本，尤其是对软件开发商、以及需要高运算速度和高分辨率屏幕的超级用户而言。皮采说：“就我个人经历来说，这是我用过的最快的笔记本。”

    Cloud computing has been around for some time now. But not many people believe they can do all their computing in the cloud. Not many, that is, outside the brainaics at the Googleplex.

    With its line of Chromebooks made by various hardware partners, Google (GOOG) began testing in earnest the idea that tech users could live their digital lives almost entirely in the cloud. The low-cost laptops, which are powered by the Chrome operating system first went on sale in 2011. They only run Web-based applications, not traditional desktop programs, and eschew the trappings of traditional laptops such as an optical disc reader or large hard drive.

    After a sluggish start, Chromebooks are gaining momentum. But by and large, people buy them because they are cheap. I personally raved about the $250 Samsung Chromebook not because it's a great computer, but because a) I already have a couple of Macs around the house, and b) at that price, I could afford to get an extra laptop and put up with the shortcomings of a Web-only device: no iTunes or iPhoto, no Skype, no Minecraft (if you don't know what that is, ask any third-grade boy), and subpar versions of word processing and spreadsheet programs.

    Now Google is making a bet that some people will want to live entirely in the cloud -- not primarily because it is cheaper -- but because it is better. On Thursday, it unveiled the Chromebook Pixel, a laptop as stylish and fast as any ultrabook. (That category was created by Intel (INTC) to help boost flagging PC sales; so far, no luck.) Google's Pixel has a full-sized keyboard and a super-high-resolution display that works as a touchscreen, like many newer PCs running Microsoft (MSFT) Windows 8.

    "We think this is a real game changer in how people can start living the cloud," said Sundar Pichai, the senior vice president in charge of Chrome and apps at Google, as he unveiled the Pixel in San Francisco on Thursday. Maybe. But the catch is that the Pixel, which will ship next week, costs a jaw-dropping $1,299 for a WiFi-only model. A version with LTE to connect to high-speed cellular networks is coming in April and will cost $1,449.

    That's likely to be a tough sell. For $100 less than the base model, you can get a 13-inch MacBook Air from Apple (AAPL), the popularity of which essentially spurred the creation of the ultrabook category in the first place. The Air may not have a touch screen, but you can do all the cloud computing you want and run just about any desktop program. You can store your photos, music and videos, and yes, back them up in the cloud if you want.

    So who will buy the Pixel? Pichai says that plenty of businesses have already embraced the concept of cloud computing and use Gmail and other Google apps for most of their productivity needs. What's been lacking is a really good Chrome-based laptop, especially for software developers and other power users who demand speed and high-resolution displays. "In my personal experience, it's the fastest laptop I used," Pichai said.