Google found out that nobody wants to spend four-figures on a Chromebook, no matter how premium it looks or works. The company has reportedly decided to cancel the next-generation of Pixelbook, its take on a stock, premium Chromebook with fairly powerful hardware, and first-rate device aesthetics. It was meant as a technology demonstrator for all that the Chromebook can do, and how the Chromebook platform itself is meant as an evolution of the PC. The Verge reports that Google cancelled Pixelbook and shut down the team building it. Members of the team have been internally transferred within Google. The decision is being seen as unexpected, as Google hinted at I/O that it would keep Pixelbook going.

Google has reportedly laid off a big chunk of its hardware workforce behind notebook and tablet products. These were teams behind the development of Pixelbook and Pixel Slate, which are premium notebooks and convertible-tablets, respectively, based on Google's Chrome OS platform. With this move, Google concedes that Chrome OS cannot replace Windows in the mainstream personal computing space, and will only relegate it to low-cost devices such as Chromebooks, Chromeboxes, and Chromebases. The Business Insider report talking about these workforce cuts also mentions roadmap cuts and a paring down of Google's hardware product portfolio down to profitable ones such as Chromecast, Google Home IoT products, and Nest; with Chrome OS devices being largely handled by OEMs.