GoKawiil
Tech News
Android Authority's Richard Priday writes that Google is launching a new line of high-end laptops called Googlebooks, positioned as a desktop evolution of Android meant to eventually replace ChromeOS. According to the piece, the initial lineup starts at around $1,000, with no cheaper entry-level models offered at launch.
Google confirmed that existing Chromebooks will keep receiving regular updates and security patches under its Auto Update policy through mid-2034. After that, newer commercial Chromebook models with 10-year update support extending past 2034 will be eligible to switch to the newly announced Googlebook OS, though Google says more migration details are coming soon.
Google's support documentation for its new Googlebook lineup reveals that Chromebooks purchased today will stop receiving updates in 2034, two years short of the ten-year support commitment Google has advertised. Google says it will help eligible Chromebooks migrate to the new Googlebook OS, but details on which devices qualify and how migration will work have not yet been released.
Google says it will keep issuing ChromeOS updates and security patches through mid-2034 for enterprise and education users, according to a company support page. The disclosure comes as Google prepares to launch Googlebooks, laptops running an Android-based Googlebook OS, with devices arriving October 4.
Google published a support page for Chrome Enterprise and Education customers stating that ChromeOS software support will continue through 'mid-2034.' The page frames the timeline as Google positions its new Android-based Googlebooks as the eventual successor to Chromebooks. The 2034 date had previously appeared in a court filing, but this marks its first public appearance on an official support document.
Google has officially confirmed it will phase out ChromeOS updates in mid-2034, a date previously revealed in court records. In a support document for IT administrators, Google said many newer Chromebooks will be eligible to migrate to its new Googlebook OS, though it did not specify which models or how the transition process will work. Management tools for Googlebooks in enterprise settings won't arrive until the second half of 2027, and licensing terms for the new OS have not yet been announced.
Google confirmed via a Help Center post that many of its newest Chromebook models will be eligible to transition to Googlebook OS, the new Android-based laptop operating system unveiled this month. The company hasn't specified which devices qualify or when the switch will be possible, saying details on migration paths and eligibility will come later. Existing Chromebooks will keep receiving updates through their normal support window, and the first Googlebooks are set to go on sale next week.
Google began taking pre-orders this week for Googlebooks, a new laptop line running a combined ChromeOS-Android operating system, and the devices reportedly sold out quickly on its US store. However, searching "Googlebooks" on Google Search returns results dominated by Google Books, the company's existing digital library of scanned books and magazines, including in the AI Overview.
A Google employee, Dieter Bohn, posted a video on X and LinkedIn demonstrating windowing and trackpad gestures on the new Googlebook OS, which runs on Android but visually resembles ChromeOS. The demo shows a three- or four-finger swipe up to reveal an overview of open apps, plus drag-to-side and drag-to-top window snapping and full-screen gestures, alongside support for multiple desktops.
Google offers ChromeOS Flex, a free operating system that can replace Windows on older machines meeting modest specs: an Intel or AMD CPU, 4GB RAM and 16GB storage, though chips from 2012 or earlier aren't supported. Installation involves using Chrome's Chromebook Recovery Utility to create bootable media on an 8GB-plus USB drive, then booting the target PC into its boot menu to install or trial the OS.
Google has officially rolled out its Googlebook platform, merging ChromeOS and Android into a single desktop operating system with deep Android phone integration, Gemini AI features, and a widget-creation tool. Five laptops from Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, and Lenovo are launching alongside the platform, all starting with at least 16GB RAM, 256GB storage, and claimed 14+ hour battery life. The devices go on sale in the US starting October 4, with the Acer Googlebook 14 priced from $899 as the cheapest and only convertible option.
Google introduced Googlebooks, a new laptop platform built on Android rather than ChromeOS, though it looks and functions similarly with the same app dock, Chrome browser and Play Store access. The system retains Chromebook staples like the Titan security chip and built-in malware protection, but adds deeper phone-to-laptop integration, including instant login syncing and app handoff features like 'continue on,' demonstrated with the music app BandLab.