I think the hard thing here is that they want to keep the Linux VMs totally isolated from ChromeOS itself, so that they aren't opening up users to attacks. This is taking a lot of effort to get right.

I will say, the Pixelbook was super underpowered. They use the ultra-portable Intel CPUs that have a TDP of 7W, which makes them super slow with anything CPU intensive. The Dragonfly chrombook has a 15W base power usage, and can boost up to 55W, which allows for way more CPU intensive operations.

Yeah, they are half-baked in that they are trying to be a VM for Android and Linux apps, and neither are perfect yet. As far as I can tell, both are still receiving attention.

You might be thinking of the Pixelbook Go with the Intel m3? My Pixelbook (from 2018) is an i5, and performs fine.

They're right. I loved my Pixelbook (non-Go), but the Core i5[1] and i7[2] used pretty underpowered 7W CPUs.

1. https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/sku/97461/i...

2. https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/95441/i...

Yep, this is why saying "an i5" is meaningless. It covers everything from "weaker than a modern phone" to desktop CPUs that pull 150W and perform as such.

It also covers models introduced from 2009 through today. It gives you an idea of how it was placed in the product lineup when it was launched, but not which product lineup, so... not very helpful.

I've never heard of anyone complaining that the OG Pixelbook was underpowered. Even today, it runs Chrome just fine.

it says running VM for Android is heavy

I agree - some of the updates I've received have been so half baked, including the Android apps forever-hang, that I wondered if anyone real was involved in this release. I finally got rid of my chromebook for a pittance because I just got tired of the mess.