Our love for Google goes without saying, and while their collective genius precedes them, sometimes they go ahead and do something that makes us wonder: “what the hell are they smoking?!” It’s true, for every Nexus 7 moment, there’s a Nexus Q failure hiding in the shadows.

Our next WTF! moment comes courtesy of Google’s new Chromebook, the Chromebook Pixel. The once cozy perception of an affordable “For Everyone” laptop has suddenly been shattered to pieces with a Chromebook that is anything but affordable and, well… “For Almost No One.”

The Chromebook Pixel certainly didn’t follow the slow progression we’ve been seeing from Google and its line of Chromebooks. Google has gone from the $199 Acer C7 Chromebook, to the $249 Samsung Chrombook, to the now, wait for it… $1299 Chromebook Pixel!

A Chromebook that costs $1299?! What could this thing possibly have to warrant Apple-esque extortionist prices?! Well, let’s take a look:

• 12.85-inch, 400 nit display at 2560 x 1700 resolution (239 PPI)
• Gorilla Glass multi-touch screen
• 32 GB storage
• Backlit Chrome keyboard
• HD Webcam
• 2 x USB 2.0 ports
• Mini display port
• 2-in-1 card reader supporting: SD, MMC
• Intel Core i5 Processor (Dual Core 1.8GHz)
• Intel HD Graphics 4000
• 4 GB DDR3 RAM
• 59 Wh battery (Up to 5 hours of active use)
• Dual-band WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n 2×2
• Bluetooth 3.0™
• Headphone/microphone jack
• Built-in microphone array
• Integrated DSP for noise cancellation
• Powerful speakers tuned for clarity

No, I’m not kidding, that’s what you get for $1299. While that’s ludicrous in its own right, let’s compare the Chromebook Pixel to the ridiculous Apple Macbook Pro laptops that we so fondly poke fun of:

MacBook with Retina Display ($1499)

• 13.3-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS technology 2560-by-1600 native resolution at 227 pixels per inch with support for millions of colors
• 2.5GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor (Turbo Boost up to 3.1GHz) with 3MB shared L3 cache
• 8GB of 1600MHz DDR3L onboard memory
• 128GB Storage
• Intel HD Graphics 4000
• 720p FaceTime HD camera
• MagSafe 2 power port
• Two Thunderbolt ports (up to 10 Gbps)
• Two USB 3 ports (up to 5 Gbps)
• HDMI port
• Headphone port
• SDXC card slot
• 802.11n Wi-Fi wireless networking; IEEE 802.11a/b/g compatible
• Bluetooth 4.0 wireless technology
• Stereo speakers
• Dual microphones
• Headphone/optical digital audio output (minijack)
• Support for Apple iPhone headset with microphone
• Full-size backlit keyboard with 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) keys, including 12 function keys and 4 arrow keys (inverted “T” arrangement) with ambient light sensor
• Multi-Touch trackpad for precise cursor control; supports inertial scrolling, pinch, rotate, swipe, three-finger swipe, four-finger swipe, tap, double-tap, and drag capabilities
• Built-in 74-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery (Up to 7 hours wireless web, Up to 30 days standby time)
• 60W MagSafe 2 Power Adapter with cable management system; MagSafe 2 power port
• OS X Mountain Lion

While I would never purchase a MacBook Pro, I can’t see anyone choosing the Chromebook Pixel over it (or any multitude of superior laptops that cost less). Oh yea, and I’m not even going to get into all of the software you won’t be able to run on the Chromebook Pixel.

Again, “what the hell is Google smoking?!”

Oh well, Google can’t always be full of great deals. One thing is for sure: you can expect this one to remain fully stocked in the Play store for a long, long time.