Pixelbook Into Desperation
“What do you mean you can’t make my new Google Pixelbook work like my poor old MacBook?”
I asked my tech expert this question in desperation as she was planning to set up my new system. The reason I purchased the Pixelbook was because it has a cool feature where the touchscreen folds all the way over and it becomes a nice flat writing surface for the special pen. But I had no idea it wouldn’t let me continue to use all my systems in the same integrated way I did on my dead MacBook. (It’s an understatement to say that I’m not very technically minded.)
Interlude: My MacBook is deceased because I managed to drop it on the escalator at the Denver Airport. breaking not only the screen but some things inside. Beware those sharp little metal teeth at the front of the steps!
Yes, I was crazed. And annoyed that when I had talked to the salesperson and described my deceased MacBook and the functions I used on it , there was nary a word about the difficulties of using Microsoft apps integrated with Google tools on Chrome OS. I have since discovered I am far from the only person to complain about this issue after purchasing the device. (My tech expert suggested I tell you to explore tech forums if you want to learn more about angry people and this issue.)
What I really don’t understand is how Google, a huge tech company you may have heard of, with all it’s supposed expertise and resources, wouldn’t recognize this problem during development. And since the problem is so widely known, how could Best Buy salespeople not mention it?
After all, I am among the huge number of people who aren’t particularly knowledgeable about how these devices actually work. Best Buy, a little help during purchase please.
The good news is, my tech expert calmed me down and reminded me that I could return the new computer even though I had taken it out of the box and played around with it a bit. So off I went and returned with a nice new MacBook. After a few hours getting it set up, all my various apps/programs are now working together in perfect harmony.
Two big companies. Both not thinking about the needs of their customers. Both providing lots of information about how wonderful a product is but not sharing that there is a potential difficulty that may make it unusable for many customers.. Both forgetting that many customers are not tech experts, knowledgeable about the inner workings of devices and so able to figure things out themselves.
Again, a little help please. And some thought about building things that work in ways that are customer friendly.