(Credit: Viva Tung/PCMag/Google)
"For application developers, the web is the platform." That's what Google wrote when it announced ChromeOS back in 2009, describing a desktop operating system focused on open web technologies. But the reveal of Android-based and Gemini-heavy Googlebooks signals a seismic shift in its software philosophy. Google isn’t getting rid of ChromeOS quite yet, but Googlebooks are clearly the company’s new focus. It admits as much, with Alex Kuscher, Google’s senior director for laptops and tablets, saying, "We see an opportunity to rethink laptops again.”
The Googlebook experience sure looks shiny, and maybe it's an inevitable evolution of Google's desktop platform. Still, it’s not at all what I want from any laptop, and it shouldn't come at the expense of ChromeOS. Yes, Googlebooks will run Chrome, but their main goal is to shoehorn in Android apps and fill every corner with Gemini AI features. That's a major downgrade for people like me who appreciate what ChromeOS is: a simple, consistent, and web-centric operating system that actually belongs on traditional PCs.
ChromeOS Failed Because Google Stopped Believing in It
As a lightweight operating system optimized for running web applications, ChromeOS should be more popular. After all, your Windows PC is likely full of apps based on web technologies. I know I spend most of my day running web apps in Chrome on my Windows 11 work PC. Moreover, ChromeOS requires less memory and storage than other OSes, which is a key advantage in the age of astronomical component prices.
But ChromeOS never won over many macOS or Windows users because Google gave up on the idea too early. It began losing interest in the web as an application platform in 2016, when it launched Android apps on ChromeOS. As such, the modern ChromeOS experience involves a mix of Android apps, browser tabs, and progressive web apps. Many Android apps fail to resize correctly and understandably prioritize touch input, so I mostly find them awkward on Chromebooks. And now, with the push for Gemini AI both in ChromeOS and this new OS for Googlebooks, the focus on a lightweight OS seems dead.
Google Wants AI to Replace the Operating System
Google’s main motivation with the Android-based OS on Googlebooks seems to be to add Gemini AI everywhere it can. Kuscher explains, “computing [is shifting] from an operating system to an intelligence system.” This should all sound familiar if you're up-to-date on Microsoft’s Copilot push in Windows. I know I'm not alone in not liking most Copilot AI features, and Googlebooks seem to be aiming for an even more heavy-handed AI strategy.
One example Google highlighted in its announcement is the Magic Pointer feature, which makes your cursor “come alive with Gemini” whenever you wiggle it. It sounds OK at first (much like Microsoft’s Click To Do), but I anticipate it simply getting in the way of how I use my computer. I think most people will also think Google is overreaching with such features, especially if they are accustomed to the simplicity of ChromeOS.
Android Still Doesn't Belong on Laptops
Google is talking a lot about AI, but the Android-based desktop environment for Googlebooks is also a major story here. Thus far, Google has avoided saying that these machines will run Android. Instead, Kuscher tells Wired that Google "is building on top of Android technologies—the apps are primary citizens that have access to hardware, have access to the OS at a level that would not be possible otherwise.” Google has long been working on combining Android and ChromeOS as part of the Aluminium project.
If you’re going to run Android apps on a laptop, the Googlebook approach does seem like an upgrade versus the current emulation layer in ChromeOS. And Google says Googlebooks won’t just run smartphone apps. Android developers can create adaptive apps with more powerful interfaces on larger-screen devices. However, Google has struggled to encourage the development of these very apps for many years.
The company has likely done a lot of work on the back end to make Android work better on a traditional laptop, but I still think I'll find it foreign. All of my experiences using Android devices with mice and keyboards thus far have been deeply awkward, whether on a Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Hybrid or a Samsung Galaxy phone with DeX. What makes the hybrid iPadOS work, by comparison, is its touch-first hardware and a much larger selection of optimized apps. And even then, the non-touch MacBook Neo makes more sense for productivity than an iPad with a keyboard.
Even if the Android apps run beautifully on this new OS and mouse and keyboard support is seamless, I just don't see the point in all that effort when ChromeOS already accomplished the same with web apps.
Googlebooks Are the Future, Whether ChromeOS Fans Like It or Not
Chromebooks are here to stay, but they’re no longer Google’s priority, as mentioned. The company is talking more about supporting existing users than building up ChromeOS. Kuscher told Wired that new Chromebook models are in development from Google’s partners, and that Chromebooks will still receive 10 years of software and security updates from the date of their release. “We feel pretty committed to those users because a lot of them are in education, institutions, and businesses around the globe,” he said.
John Maletis, vice president of ChromeOS, told Chrome Unboxed that some existing Chromebooks will be eligible for an update to the Googlebook experience, promising a list of eligible devices at a future date. He spoke about the migration to “the operating system running Googlebooks” being optional. That's an important point because ChromeOS users should be able to keep using the type of operating system they prefer, even if it has strayed from its original goals.
I'll Miss What ChromeOS Was Supposed to Be
I'd take a laptop that runs the web applications I frequently use (and even some Linux software) over one with Android apps and Gemini AI any day. As such, I'm totally opposed to Google's new direction for its main desktop OS platform. I also think it's going to leave a gap in the market for people who really just want a traditional laptop that browses the web well. Googlebooks might end up being more successful than Chromebooks, but I’ll still sorely miss the original dream of ChromeOS.