GoKawiilGoogle / ZDNET
Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.
ZDNET's key takeaways
The Googlebook is more about AI than Android compatibility.
The new operating system will merge Android and ChromeOS.
Chromebooks will continue to be sold and supported.
One of the best computers I ever used was Google's 2015 Chromebook Pixel. In fact, 11 years later, I'm still using it. I'm also still annoyed that Google never released another publicly available model. Recently, Google began its reentry into the laptop market with the Googlebook, with help from HP, Acer, Lenovo, Dell, and Asus.
Also: First look at Googlebook: A premium Chromebook alternative for Android users
This release, however, won't be a high-end Chromebook like the Pixel. Instead, it's the latest manifestation of Google's plan to converge Android and ChromeOS. This scheme has been in the works -- I kid you not -- since 2009. We now think (fingers crossed) that the Googlebook will make their pairing work sometime in September.
This new premium laptop category will combine Android's application ecosystem with ChromeOS's browser strengths and put Gemini AI at the machine's heart. If this sounds to you like Microsoft's Copilot+ PCs, you're right -- it does. Google can only hope it will sell better than Microsoft's AI-first laptops have so far.
... continue reading