The Internet lit up last week as rumors of a new, more powerful Chromebook began to disseminate after a leaked video showed off a product called the Chromebook Pixel. It was touted as a super high resolution Chromebook that rivals Apple’s own retina display MacBooks. At the time, we didn’t know if it was real or not, but some of Google’s own code may have just confirmed it.
Myce, a computer storage community, recently ran a report claiming it found a number of hints in the code of Chrome OS that point to the existence of Chromebook Pixel. If legitimate, it could be the first solid proof we have that Google is finally introducing a Chromebook for the power user and hardcore media consumer.
So, where does this all begin? Myce says that there are traces of code in Chrome OS that point to the existence of HighDPI support. The current Chromebooks aren’t powerful to support HighDPI resolutions, but something like the Chromebook Pixel obviously can.
Next is where things get interesting. Chrome OS developers say that HighDPI will only be supported on something called “Google Link.” The folks at Myce think this is a codename for Chromebook Pixel, and it very well could be.
So, we can assume that the Chromebook Pixel is a real thing, but do we know anything about the hardware? After some more digging, it was found that Chrome OS developers are also working on adding in Ivy Bridge CPU support. Going even deeper, the Google Link name is brought up again as developer say they’re adding support for the “Link chipset” which could be in reference to the aforementioned Ivy Bridge.
Some final notes of interest include code that hints at support for backlit keyboards and LTE connectivity.
If all of this comes to fruition, we may have Google’s most ambitious piece of hardware yet. The Chromebook line is already an attractive alternative to Windows and OS X. The only thing holding it back has always been its less than impressive hardware. Granted, it didn’t really need it with Chrome OS, but the Chromebook Pixel, if real, could pose a real and serious threat to laptops and MacBooks.
