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Google Pixel Slate shipping early for expedited orders [UPDATE]

By JC Torres/

It seems that Google can't yet make up its mind when its Pixel Slate will actually start shipping, keeping excited would-be owners on the edge of their seats. Announced in early October, the 2-in-1 Chrome OS device was noted to ship before the year ends. Pre-orders then started early with some retailers showing mid-November dates. And then the Google Store dashed some hope with a December schedule. Now it seems, however, that the Pixel Slate will indeed start arriving in a few days, at least for those who paid extra to be a bit early.

The Google Pixel Slate is notable for what it represents. It is, for all intents and purposes, what Google envisions a mobile productivity device should be, a.k.a. a "pro tablet". At its Pixel event last month, Google unequivocally pit the Pixel Slate against the likes of the Apple iPad Pro and put it on the same league, or even above, the Microsoft Surface Pro tablets. It is the tablet that lets you get things done, says the company.

It also represents the evolution of Chromebooks, or more properly Chrome OS devices. No longer limited to laptop form factors, even convertible ones, the Pixel Slate makes official a more touch-friendly and more Chrome OS. A Chrome OS that embraces all types of interaction and even almost Google-used operating systems.

Its price doesn't seem to have dissuaded interested buyers, with the Intel Core m3 model starting at $799 (everything below that uses a mere Celeron). In fact, some even put in an additional $23 for expedited shipping. And now those are reaping the fruits of that investment, being told that they should be getting theirs in a few days.

What's not yet certain is whether this new schedule will also bump up the dates for regular orders. If expedited shipping was at first slated for the first week of December, hopefully, normal orders would also come earlier than the mid-December schedule.

UPDATE: It looks like Pixel Slate hopefuls won't be giving thanks to Google this week. It turns out that the email sent to pre-order buyers with the earlier shipping schedule was, in fact, an error. So it seems it's back to December for the Chrome OS 2-in-1 tablet for now.

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