Chromebooks debuted 16 years ago with the limited release of Google’s Cr-48, an unassuming compact laptop that was provided free to select users. From there, Chromebooks became one of the most popular budget computing options and a common fixture in schools and businesses. According to some newly uncovered court documents, Google’s shift to Android PCs means Chromebooks have an expiration date in 2034.
The documents were filed as part of Google’s long-running search antitrust case, which began in 2020 and reached a verdict in 2024. While Google is still seeking to have the guilty verdict overturned, it has escaped most of the remedies that government prosecutors requested. According to The Verge, the company’s plans for Chromebooks and the upcoming Android-based Aluminium came up in filings from the remedy phase of the trial.
As Google moves toward releasing Aluminium, it sought to keep the upcoming machines above the fray and retain the Chrome browser (which it did). In Judge Amit Mehta’s final order, devices running ChromeOS or a ChromeOS successor are excluded. To get there, Google had to provide a little more detail on its plans.
Credit: US v. Google The filing suggests Google is done with ChromeOS after the current support window. The filing suggests Google is done with ChromeOS after the current support window. Credit: US v. Google
Google’s Android chief, Sameer Samat, previously testified that Google was aiming to launch its first Aluminium machines in 2026. However, the new filings expand on that, saying that Google hopes to get Aluminium in the hands of trusted testers by late 2026. A full retail release may not happen until 2028. Google expects Aluminium to supplant ChromeOS in enterprise and education, which puts Chromebooks on the chopping block. Outside of a pandemic-era bump as workers sought cheap at-home machines, Chromebooks have never expanded much beyond those markets.