Mar 01, 2017 01:18 PM EST By Donna Mills, UniversityHerald Reporter

Those who are hoping for the next version of Google's Chromebook Pixel laptop are in for a rude awakening. The tech giant just confirmed that they are not making new laptops -- at least for now.

Rick Osterloh, Google's senior vice president for hardware, said at the MWC 2017 that the company has "no plans" to produce a third Chromebook laptop, TechCrunch reported. He added that Google is not restocking Chromebook supplies in the market either.

Osterloh's statement about the existing Chromebook laptops was quickly verified. True enough, the online Google Store currently lists the Pixel laptops as sold out. It's still possible to purchase one through third-party sellers, though.

Osterloh, however, was quick to clarify that Google "hasn't backed away from laptops" and they are only discontinuing "Google-branded laptops." The Pixel brand is currently being used on the company's smartphones, which start selling at $649.

The Chromebook Pixel was first launched in 2013, with the second one rolling out in markets in 2015. The latter model, with a price that ranged between $999 and $1299, had a pretty exterior thanks to its tailored edges, aluminium chassis with subtle texture and a tough hinge.

The Chromebook Pixel 2015 came with a 12.85-inch touchscreen display (2560 x 1700-pixel resolution and 400-nit brightness) and was powered by a Core i5 Broadwell CPU, 8GB of RAM and a 32GB internal memory. The pricier Pixel LS model, meanwhile, ran using a Core i7 CPU, 16GB of RAM and a 64GB internal memory.

There are claims that Google is not really leaving the laptop market but would just ditch the Chromebook Pixel name. A source familiar with Google's strategy claimed to CNET that the company may still be "interested in branded laptops and or convertibles." It makes sense that the company wants to stick the Pixel brand to their smartphones only, given how much effort and resources they put in those handsets.

The would-be Chromebook Pixel 3 was expected to feature Andromeda -- a combination of their Chrome OS (their laptop operating system) and Android, its mobile counterpart. It's possible that an Andromeda-powered laptop would be released in the near future, but it may not come directly from Google.

Google appears to have big plans for Chrome OS, with Osterloh describing the operating system as "a huge initiative in the company." Last month, Google lent their Chrome OS software to the Samsung Chromebook Plus and Pro, which they promoted as the best Chrome OS device currently out in public.

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