Google launches touch screen Chromebook

Google Chromebook Pixel. / Google/CBS

Google is adding a new touch to its line of Chrome laptops in an attempt to outshine personal computers running on software made by rivals Microsoft and Apple.

The search giant announced Thursday the arrival of its latest cloud-computing portable computer. The new Chromebook Pixel includes a 13-inch display screen that responds to the touch or swipe of the finger. That's a key feature in Microsoft Corp.'s Windows 8, a dramatic makeover of the world's leading operating system for PCs.

The Pixel's high-resolution screen displays 239 pixels per inch, slightly more than Apple Inc.'s MacBooks with high-resolution Retina displays.

Google will begin selling the Pixel on Thursday in its Web store, Play. A laptop with Wi-Fi and 32 gigabytes of flash storage will sell for $1,299. A 64-gigabyte machine that can connect on a 4G LTE network will cost $1,499.