Just about 15 years ago, Google introduced ChromeOS and Chromebooks, right when cloud computing was becoming mainstream. While early Chromebooks were fraught with limitations, ChromeOS’s constraints dissipated over the years, becoming a low-cost, viable alternative to what Apple and Microsoft offer. Google’s now looking to shake up the laptop market once again with Googlebooks — but this time, it’s all about AI.
What’s a Googlebook? The simple answer: It’s a premium laptop powered by an Android- and Gemini-based operating system, with the desktop feel and built-in security of ChromeOS. But trying to explain what that actually means to someone who’s not too tech savvy is a little trickier. The basic idea is that using a Googlebook shouldn’t be all too different from using a Chromebook or any other laptop, you’ll just get more Gemini AI-powered tools built in, along with access to the full universe of Android apps.
Android, Gemini AI and ChromeOS in one package
While over the past couple years Google has added a healthy dose of Gemini AI to its Chromebooks, with Googlebooks it’s at their core. One of the features Google has teased, for example, is Magic Pointer. Shake your cursor over an image, and the system could surface contextual AI suggestions for things you might want to do with it. Shake your cursor over an email with event details, meanwhile, and it might suggest adding the information directly to your calendar.
Read more: Android 17 Is Smarter Than Ever, Thanks to Gemini Intelligence
But arguably the biggest advantage is that, because it’s built on Android, features originally developed for phones can be brought to Googlebooks much more quickly — something that wasn’t really possible with ChromeOS. Circle to Search is a good example: It took roughly a year for the feature to make the jump from Android phones to Chromebook Plus laptops. But now, an AI feature like Create Your Widget — which lets you quickly generate custom widgets and was only recently announced for Android phones — will also be available on Googlebooks.
I spoke with Alexander Kuscher, Google’s senior director for laptops and tablets, who described Googlebooks as “no-compromise” laptops designed for anyone with an Android phone. By building on the same Android foundation, he said, the experience between devices should feel seamless rather than bolted on.
“When we started with Googlebooks, we wanted to build something that is intuitive. But when you unpack what intuitive means, it really means, often it starts with something that is familiar,” Kuscher said. “And that’s the approach we’ve taken with Googlebooks. We took something that you are used to — in this case, your Android phone — and you’re used to how they work, how they behave, how they interact with you, and we took that, and we expanded upon it.”
Googlebooks arrive this fall
To be clear, there aren’t any Googlebook devices available yet; they’re expected to launch this fall, in time for the holiday shopping season. Google confirmed launch partners including Acer, Asus, Dell, HP and Lenovo, while Kuscher said the laptops will ship with either x86 or Arm processors from Intel, Qualcomm and MediaTek. He also said the OS is meant to work with more than just laptops, so you can expect Googlebook devices in a variety of shapes and sizes.
But the one thing they’ll all have in common is that they’re all going to be premium devices. Chromebooks have always had an image problem. No matter the materials, internal components or display quality, a lot of people still think of Chromebooks as the cheap, chunky plastic laptops kids use at school — or simply as a browser in a box.
Googlebooks seem designed to change that perception, pairing a more capable operating system with premium materials and higher-end components. In fact, unlike Chromebooks, there doesn’t appear to be any overt Google branding on the lid at all — aside from a subtle glowbar, visible in the image at the top of this story.
“When we work with our hardware partners on the design and on the build of the hardware, we wanted to make sure that the hardware and the software feel like they’re built with the same ethos and the same principles, and one of those principles was to provide a premium experience,” Kuscher said. “It should be of a build quality that you come to expect from higher-end products, but also premium in terms of durability so that it lasts you and that it’s an investment that you make and that you know is going to be making you happy for quite a while.”
Are Chromebooks dead now?
What does the rollout of Googlebooks mean for Chromebooks? For the moment, they’ll coexist. New Chromebooks currently have 10 years of support, and Kuscher said that’s not going away. Plus, you’ve got millions and millions of students using them daily, and given that Googlebooks are premium devices, it’s unlikely they’ll replace Chromebooks for education anytime soon.
I’d expect ChromeOS development to slow somewhat over time, with at least some higher-end Chromebook Plus models eventually transitioning to the new operating system.
As for what that OS will actually be called, Google isn’t saying yet. But I can tell you one thing: It won’t be Aluminium. That was simply the project’s internal codename, and Kuscher said it was never intended to be the public-facing brand.
Read the full article here