Chromebooks have been a major success for Google, but they have their limits. While they’re great for school and light work (especially if you’re all-in on Google), they aren’t necessarily the best choice for more intense or professional computer work. For that, people often turn to two main platforms: Mac or PC. It seems Google sees an opportunity to add another to the mix: The company looks like it wants to capture Android users who might be choosing from one of the other two platforms for their computing needs. iPhone users often choose Mac, after all, so maybe Android users would choose the right Google computer, too.
Googlebooks are a new laptop from Google
Enter Googlebooks, a new laptop platform spearheaded by Google. The company announced the new product line during Tuesday’s presentation of The Android Show: I/O Edition. Because it’s 2026, these laptops are designed with AI in mind. And, because this is Google, the AI of choice here is Gemini—specifically, Gemini Intelligence, which Google also announced during its keynote.
Based on what I’ve seen, the OS is quite similar in appearance to Chrome OS. There’s a dock at the bottom of the screen with various apps, a menu bar at the top of the display, and apps work in floating windows. Standard stuff. What Google is particularly excited about, however, is the Googlebook’s new cursor, which it calls the “Magic Pointer.” Like a typical cursor, you move the Magic Pointer across the screen to interact with different elements. But if you give the Magic Pointer a little shake, it’ll activate Gemini, which will then let you know what actions it can take on your behalf. For example, you could shake the Magic Pointer over a date in an email and receive an option to set up a meeting. You could select two pictures in your photo library, shake the pointer, and see the option to combine those two images into one.
Credit: Google
Because this is meant to be a seamless cross-platform experience (à la Apple), you can run your mobile Android apps on your Googlebook. That doesn’t just mean installing the Android version on your Googlebook; rather, you can run the apps from your phone on your laptop. Google has some ideas for how you should use it: You could fire up the DoorDash app on your Googlebook if you want to order lunch while working on a Google Doc, or open Duolingo to run through your daily language lesson without leaving your laptop. (These are things you could do already with these companies’ web apps, but I get the direction.) On a similar note, you can use Quick Access to retrieve files from your phone on your Googlebook, without having to send the files to yourself.
Google says it’s bringing Gemini Intelligence’s new “Create your Widget” feature to Googlebooks as well. The feature lets you use Gemini to generate your own custom widgets. You could create a widget that shows you the wind speed and rain forecast of any city you wish, or a widget that lists all upcoming concerts at the venue closest to you. It’s a neat use of generative AI, and it makes sense that the company would include the feature on Googlebooks, not just Android proper.
What do you think so far?
Unlike other major manufacturers, Google isn’t slapping a large “G” on the cover to let you know this is a Googlebook. While the company has a small “Googlebook” logo underneath the keyboard, these machines will come with a “glowbar” on the lid. This is a functioning light bar, too, not just decoration, so it will actually glow as you use the laptop.
Credit: Google
According to Google, the company has partnered with Acer, ASUS, Dell, and HP to manufacture its first batch of Googlebooks. Google says that each will be built with “premium craftsmanship and materials,” and will come in many different shapes and sizes. That said, the company is light on specific details at this time, and it’s not clear which company made the device we see in the renders.
