????它還有個(gè)優(yōu)點(diǎn)——可能也是為了彌補(bǔ)它的局限性——Pixel在Google Drive上有著巨大的1TB在線存儲(chǔ)空間，足夠供大多數(shù)人在3年中收藏照片和音樂。幾個(gè)月之后，谷歌還會(huì)提供去年獲得的Quickoffice網(wǎng)絡(luò)版本，它與微軟（Microsoft）Office軟件的兼容性比目前的Google Docs要更好。

????Pixel也代表著谷歌對(duì)硬件的最新嘗試。不同于之前由三星（Samsung）、宏基（Acer）和惠普（Hewlett-Packard ）等廠商制造的Chromebook，Pixel完全是谷歌的產(chǎn)品，雖然它是由亞洲的一家簽約制造商組裝的。

????所有跡象都表明，谷歌正在加速從一家網(wǎng)絡(luò)公司向同時(shí)制造軟、硬件的計(jì)算機(jī)公司轉(zhuǎn)型。在硬件方面，將會(huì)有谷歌眼鏡（Google Glass），當(dāng)然，還有許多谷歌和安卓合作伙伴制造的Nexus移動(dòng)設(shè)備。還將會(huì)有谷歌125億美元收購的摩托羅拉移動(dòng)（Motorola Mobility）制造的手機(jī)和平板電腦。按照拉里?佩奇的說法，這都是為了跟上個(gè)人計(jì)算領(lǐng)域史無前例的劇變。佩奇在最近一次的收益電話會(huì)議上說：“這就是為何我們要如此關(guān)注設(shè)備。它們是我們最近幾年來最大的努力之一——還包括與設(shè)備相關(guān)的軟件，Chrome和安卓?！?/p>

????未來的形勢(shì)十分有趣。如果Pixel獲得成功，它將是對(duì)谷歌純粹云計(jì)算的巨大肯定。公司長(zhǎng)期以來都將賭注押在了安卓上，它可以同時(shí)運(yùn)行云端或是設(shè)備本身的應(yīng)用。但是，如果純粹的云計(jì)算成為了PC機(jī)一個(gè)真正可行的選擇，那這個(gè)行業(yè)中的人們將很難再有什么新的作為。

????譯者：嚴(yán)匡正

????As an additional enticement -- or perhaps to make up for its limitations -- the Pixel comes with a whopping 1 terabyte of free storage on Google Drive, enough to store most people's photo and music collections many times over, for 3 years. In a couple of months, Google will also offer a Web-version of Quickoffice, which Google acquired last year, and which will provide better compatibility with Microsoft Office programs than Google Docs does currently.

????The Pixel also represents Google's latest foray into hardware. Unlike prior Chromebooks, which were made by the likes of Samsung, Acer, and Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), the Pixel is entirely a Google product, though it is being assembled by a contract manufacturer in Asia.

????All indications suggest the transformation of Google from an Internet company into a computing company that makes both hardware and software will continue apace. On the hardware front, there will be Google Glass, of course, and more Nexus-branded mobile devices made by Google or its Android partners. There will also be handsets and tablets, made by Motorola Mobility, whichGoogle purchased for $12.5 billion. In the words of Larry Page, it's all about keeping up with the unprecedented rate of change in personal computing. "It's why we've put so much focus on devices," Page said during the company's most recent earnings call. "They've been one of our biggest bets in the last few years -- along with the software to go with the devices, Chrome and Android."

????It will be interesting to watch. If it succeeds, the Pixel would be a huge validation for Google's cloud-only vision of computing. The company has long hedged its bets with Android, which runs apps whether they live in the cloud or on the device itself. But no one in the industry would have more to gain if pure cloud computing becomes a truly viable alternative to the PC.