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More images of what may well be a second-generation Pixelbook tablet have appeared on the site of an aftermarket keyboard manufacturer. Although that page has now been taken down, the two keyboards it showed are said to be made for use in premium Chromebooks, of which there are precious few. Although it’s possible that the images first found by About Chromebooks show generic Chromebook designs to display what the keyboards might look like when released, there are some noteworthy clues that suggest we could be looking at a Pixelbook 2 with an aftermarket keyboard.
Google’s Pixelbook was quite an anomaly in the Chromebook space when it was first released, as it was the only premium offering and certainly the most expensive. Today, there are a number of premium Chromebook alternatives, with more on the horizon, but hints and rumors of a new Pixelbook have been doing the rounds for a while now, with many expecting it to make its appearance at Google’s upcoming October 4 #madebyGoogle event.
The Wallaby keyboard from Brydge has been known about for a while, according to 9to5Google — even if there have been some name changes along the way. However, it’s one thing spotting mentions in the Chromium repository and another entirely to see pictures of it, especially when some images show it connected to a possible Pixelbook 2 tablet.
The tablet screen in question does have rather thick bezels, which would be a surprise to see on a new Pixelbook, especially when other leaks suggest the Pixelbook 2’s bezels will be almost nonexistent. However, this image does have a bezel-mounted fingerprint sensor, which we are expecting the Pixelbook 2 to have. Wallaby also features a Launcher key with the same icon and placement as the original Pixelbook.
Perhaps what we’re looking at here is the rumored Nocturne detachable version of the Pixelbook 2, while the mainline Atlas design is the more typical 360-hinge laptop with more of the enhancements we’re expecting.
Also of note in this latest leak is that the second keyboard, the Goanna, is said to be designed as a “desktop keyboard for Chrome OS.” While that could just mean it’s more of a fully featured keyboard than the Wallaby counterpart, it could suggest that Google is planning a Chrome OS desktop reveal too.
All of this is speculation for now, and we’ll need to wait until October 4 to find out what Google has really been working on.
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