GoKawiilThe original Google Pixelbook is one of my favorite laptops. Myself and others used it as our primary laptops for years. But, sadly, I eventually couldn’t use mine for work anymore. The aging i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage weren’t up to the task anymore, and neither was the battery. On top of that, I needed to use software that wasn’t available on ChromeOS.
For years, I have held out for when Google would make another premium laptop. Googlebooks could have been what I’d waited for. They aren’t.
Are you excited for Googlebooks? 15 votes Yes 33 % No 67 %
I can’t believe this is what I waited for
When I heard that Google was making Googlebooks, I made some assumptions. I assumed that creating a new product category meant these new laptops would be a major departure from any Chromebook that came before. I was excited about powerful hardware and software capable of more than simple word processing, web browsing, and media consumption.
You see, the aging hardware wasn’t the only reason I stopped using my Pixelbook for work. Software had become an issue as well. Editing photos, creating hero images, and handling all the files I created were either a chore or not possible on ChromeOS. I’ve also long had the aspiration of making video content, and while I haven’t yet, a Chromebook wouldn’t be useful for that. My assumption that Googlebooks would address this was unfounded.
Instead of doing something that will motivate developers to port apps to a new operating system or making first-party tools to compete with them, Google has taken ChromeOS, slapped a new name on it, and doused the whole thing in AI.
I know that’s not technically true — Googlebooks run Android, not ChromeOS, but it doesn’t feel like there’s a meaningful difference. The standout feature Google showed off was the Magic Pointer, which lets you wiggle your mouse to summon some impressive-looking AI features. But that alone doesn’t justify creating a new platform and fragmentation in Google’s laptop ecosystem. Magic Pointer isn’t even exclusive to Googlebooks, so you can’t even call it a selling point for the new OS.
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