In short: Google won’t be radically revamping its Pixelbook marketing strategy for its second-generation Chromebook, with the company’s recent activities in the intellectual property segment suggesting it’s looking to stick with some of the slogans and phrases it used for advertising its flagship Chrome OS convertible from last year. According to a new trademark application filed with the USPTO last week, Alphabet’s subsidiary is looking to continue using the “a stroke of genius” tagline for promoting computer styluses in the future, with that particular slogan first being utilized by the company during the Pixelbook unveiling in October of 2017. The same phrase can still be found on top of the Pixelbook Pen listing on the American version of the Google Store as of Tuesday morning EST.
Background: A number of recent insider statements and leaks already suggested the Pixelbook 2 is scheduled to be announced by Google at the company’s next hardware event taking place on October 9. The upcoming series is expected to consist of at least several models, though it’s still unclear whether those will differ by something other than memory configuration. By most accounts, the Pixelbook 2 line will still be a high-end product family targeting power users which will simultaneously serve as a reference design for third-party manufacturers interested in commercializing ultra-premium Chrome OS laptops. At least one member of the line may also be LTE-enabled, as indicated by one recently spotted product certificate. The Pixelbook 2 is expected to become available for purchase in the U.S. and Canada by late October and should make its way to more markets shortly thereafter.
Impact: Google’s renewed commitment to the original Pixelbook Pen tagline suggests the stylus accompanying the Pixelbook 2 either won’t be significantly different than its predecessor — if at all — or is planned to be sold simultaneously with the 2017 gadget. Instead, most novelties are expected from the new Chromebook itself, as recent leaks hint at much thinner bezels being part of the firm’s 2018 Chrome OS flagship.