I have an rMBP and a Pixel. I actually prefer the Pixel most of the time - it's smaller and lighter while still packing a high-density display, has a fantastic build quality, and is just zippy. The built-in LTE radio is handy for when I'm out and about, too. The sleep/wake times are incredible (it's generally woken up before I've fully opened the lid), so it's trivially easy to just flip the lid closed, go somewhere, flip it open, and keep doing what I'm doing.

ChromeOS is perfectly functional for so many use cases (though not all of them). I do all my development on a Linux machine on my home network through SSH anyhow, so I can work at my Windows desktop, or pick up the Macbook or Chromebook and continue working easily. It actually outperforms the Macbook in regards to video (I can't watch fullscreen on the rMBP without it going all laggy).

I still go for the Macbook sometimes, but if I just need a portable terminal and browser, the Chromebook is perfect.

I think I could do about 80% of my online life with something like a Chromebook (I'm also looking forward to seeing what the ASUS T100 is all about). I just want something light to take with me for some note taking, email, watching videos, surfing the web. Mostly what I'd use a tablet for, except I need a keyboard to effectively communicate on the web. Some remoting to servers, etc....

I have a full 15" MBPRo, and it'd be nice to not lug that around on the weekends and such.

But then again, maybe we just get a Surface Pro 2 (or similar) and replace everything.

So many choices with how to manage your technology lifestyle now.

As to theft: I think the argument is that you care much less if the Chromebook gets stolen, not that it's much less likely to occur. It's a quarter of the price to replace, and you likely don't have any data on it that's not synced to cloud services.

I personally couldn't bring myself to switch to a Chromebook. My personal time on the computer constitutes ~25% coding and ~75% in the browser. If I did not code, ever, then I would probably invest in a Chromebook. Since I do, I'd prefer to have a Macbook Air or a similar machine.

My girlfriend, on the other hand, spends all of her time in the browser. All she does on the computer is write her papers, surfs the web and check her email/calendar. She could save nearly $700 by purchasing a Chromebook versus the 11" Macbook Air. The Chromebook fills a growing niche, the users who need more than a tablet, but less than a fully-blown desktop machine.

I have zero problems remotely coding. Nothing beats a good Vim environment.

Not everyone is a webdev though. Try todo some C#, Java development (that basically require a decent IDE) or anything graphics related (games) via a remote connection and you will see its justs not there yet.

It's a good question and frankly I was quite surprised to realize, after using my chromebook for a while, that I was subconsciously turning to the chromebook rather than the macbook for browsing because the experience is just better. If you are looking for the least clunky way to browse the Web, it's not the Apple product (that was the surprise). Chrome OS boots faster and feels much lighter without all the icons and menus that you find in a regular OS.

The ARM chromebook also feels nicer because it has no fan. This simple detail makes it feel less like a computer and more like a tablet.

The most astonishing is that these two points give the ARM chromebook the edge over the macbook even despite its very poor screen.

That being said, I do occasionally turn to the macbook for in-browser work, when the low power of the ARM chromebook is too palpable.

For me personally Chrome OS is that compelling, that is what I like about Chromebooks. The browser, where I live 90% of the time on computers, is the default view in Chrome OS. And I get an extremely secure OS that acts as a dummy terminal to more powerful computers.

Exactly. I do all of my development in vim on a vm hosted elsewhere. A chromebook seems like the perfect 'dumb-terminal' for what I need. I'm mostly concerned about the screen resolution, so I'm tempted by the pixel, but it's more than I want to spend.

Basically, I love the concept of a computer that I don't have to setup, worry about backing up, etc. By using a remote VM, I get access to a more powerful machine that is backed up daily, and I won't misplace. This is the main advantage of "the cloud" (or whatever you want to call it) to me.

Chrome OS "gets out of the way", and it's very easy for most people to use, since it's just a browser. Steve Jobs would've appreciated it.

You can actually replace 1 Macbook Air with 4 Chromebooks

But more generally, most of the things most people do on a laptop can be (or are) done in the browser. You can even do image and video editing in the browser nowadays, as well as programming.

> You can actually replace 1 Macbook Air with 4 Chromebooks

If the web browser is your only application...

I seriously doubt there are many people with MBAs that prefer using a Chromebook. It's worse in every way except cost.

This entirely depends on each person's specific use case. It's not a black or white answer. Sure, the MBA is "better" - and more expensive - but it's also a case of the Chromebook being "good enough" for a lot of tasks where the MBA is overkill.