Google is rolling out a touchscreen, high-resolution version of the Chromebook laptop, stepping up its challenge to Microsoft and Apple in hardware.

A Wi-Fi only version of the Chromebook Pixel went on sale in the U.S. Thursday for $1,299, Google said at an event in San Francisco.

In April, the company plans to introduce a $1,499 version with access to so-called long-term evolution wireless networks, the fastest available.

Google, already leading in the market for smartphones with its Android software, is expanding in hardware to lure more users to its Web-based services. In June, Google unveiled a touchscreen tablet, Nexus 7, to compete with Apple’s iPad as well as the Surface, a tablet unveiled that month by Microsoft.

“First it was the battle of hardware, then it was the battle of software, now it’s the battle of hardware, software, browsers and eyeballs,” said Laurence Balter, an analyst at Oracle Investment Research.

The new Chromebook 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.

At 4.3 million pixels, it has more than twice as many as a typical high-definition television.

“With the Pixel, we set out to rethink all elements of a computer in order to design the best laptop possible, especially for power users who have fully embraced the cloud,” wrote Google’s Melissa Daniels about the new machine.

“This Chromebook has the highest pixel density (239 pixels per inch) of any laptop screen on the market today. Packed with 4.3 million pixels, the display offers sharp text, vivid colors and extra-wide viewing angles.”

It runs Google’s Chrome operating system.

“Touch is here to stay and is the future,” Sundar Pichai, senior vice president for Chrome, said at the event. “We wanted to design something which was very high end and premium for power users — people who are very, very demanding of their laptops.”

Google launched sales in its web store, Play.

The Wi-Fi model has 32 gigabytes of flash storage.

Google, based in Mountain View, California, has stumbled with some previous forays into hardware. The company’s Chrome laptops have been slow to gain traction with consumers, as have the Google TV set-top boxes and High Definitition televisions.

The Pixel machine will be built by a manufacturer in Taiwan, Google said, without naming the company. Previous versions of the Chromebook laptop have been made by companies including Samsung Electronics Co. and Hewlett-Packard Co.