From the tag line: The tagline immediately tells me that Google is testing the water to see how they could do with a direct competitor to the Apple laptop line. I'm fairly anti-Apple, and while...
From the tag line:
We’re introducing Googlebook, designed for Gemini Intelligence. These new laptops are built with Gemini’s helpfulness at their core, premium hardware and work seamlessly with Android phones.
The tagline immediately tells me that Google is testing the water to see how they could do with a direct competitor to the Apple laptop line. I'm fairly anti-Apple, and while I'm not explicitly pro-Google, I love my Pixel phone, and some of the services I get from Google, but I'm not here to sell or defend them -- they do shitty things just like so many other major companies seem to.
But no part of me wants anything to do with this product. For what I've used it for, Gemini has been fine, but the results often leave more to be desired. I've switched almost exclusively to Claude for when I want help with code or Linux related tasks. And selectively using Gemini in a Firefox container for what and when I want to is plenty enough for me, I don't have faith at all that building it "at [it's] core" is going to produce the results they're trying to sell here.
I look forward to seeing posted on here in 3 years that this product line has joined the Google graveyard.
Yeah as hopeful as I am for Google on this, I can't help but feel like this will die quick. I feel like outside of the Pixel phones, Google has had pretty short visions for their mobile consumer...
I look forward to seeing posted on here in 3 years that this product line has joined the Google graveyard.
Yeah as hopeful as I am for Google on this, I can't help but feel like this will die quick. I feel like outside of the Pixel phones, Google has had pretty short visions for their mobile consumer hardware. They seem to expect big success from the outlook instead of letting things marinate for a few years and then fall flat on their face.
They also don't seem to want to innovate. Three of their two headlines here don't hold much water: Designed for Gemini intelligence Optimized for the Android ecosystem Those both seem like table...
They also don't seem to want to innovate. Three of their two headlines here don't hold much water:
Designed for Gemini intelligence
Optimized for the Android ecosystem
Those both seem like table stakes for any new Google product. They also seem to be as good for Google as they are for the consumer. The third headline alludes to premium hardware and design, one of which is interesting to me, but without any details I can't get excited about it.
Granted this was written as a hype piece, and not for people like me.
The thing that holds me back from actually being willing to try one of their laptop products is productivity. While I don't use it, the Google Docs suite is pretty compatible to MS Office, and I...
The thing that holds me back from actually being willing to try one of their laptop products is productivity.
While I don't use it, the Google Docs suite is pretty compatible to MS Office, and I can get all the extensions I need through it. But outside of that, not everything I use is a browser app, and I don't want an upscaled ported mobile version through the Play Store.
For example, the mobile app version of BeerSmith is hot garbage, I tried it, but it just doesn't hold a candle to the desktop version. The Adobe suite, my CAD program, Steam, Battle.net, and Notepad++, to name a few, are programs I want to have the same full range of motion that they do on my (Windows) desktop. Not to mention things like the lockdown browser I'm required to use for exams in the program I'm enrolled in right now. These are "needs" for me, not "wants".
I think if Google offered some kind of deal with developers, along the lines of "Develop a version of your program that works on our devices, and we'll pay you an extra $20 for every copy of it that sells for the first 5,000 copies", or some kind of incentive like that, then I could see motivation for those programs to expand to Google's platform, and I'd be willing to give it a try.
I'm still confused why better Linux support was left to die on the vine. Chromebooks could be a serious option if they supported everything a Linux box provides.
I'm still confused why better Linux support was left to die on the vine. Chromebooks could be a serious option if they supported everything a Linux box provides.
Yeah that's the big downside of any new platform in the modern day. We're pretty entrenched in the Windows, macOS, and, to an extent, Linux trifecta of main PC platforms. It's the same with...
Yeah that's the big downside of any new platform in the modern day. We're pretty entrenched in the Windows, macOS, and, to an extent, Linux trifecta of main PC platforms. It's the same with iOS/Android. Think Huawei recently introduced their own new mobile phone platform, HarmonyOS that's been doing decently well and even it includes an Android compatibility mode to run Android apps alongside apps developed for Harmony.
I read an article once about how OS/2 added Windows compatibility and the thesis was that it actually expedited it's own downfall because 1) no one ported their software since people could already...
I read an article once about how OS/2 added Windows compatibility and the thesis was that it actually expedited it's own downfall because 1) no one ported their software since people could already run it, and 2) people figured they might as well go with Windows since that's what the software was intended to run on. I thought that was pretty interesting. I'm not sure what the move is to gain traction other than paying everyone to port their software, but MS tried that (a bit) with Windows Phone and I assume it turned out to be too expensive (or they just got distracted, which MS tends to do).
Is this going to kill the Chromebook as we know it? I was at the point of recommending those over Windows laptops, but if they're sticking in AI and beefing up cost/specs, then I'll need to find a...
Is this going to kill the Chromebook as we know it? I was at the point of recommending those over Windows laptops, but if they're sticking in AI and beefing up cost/specs, then I'll need to find a new recommendation. We may be entering a world where I can only earnestly recommend a Mac, I'll be damned.
Google has built high-end Chromebooks before (like the Pixelbook) and there have been previous kludgy attempts to merge Android and ChromeOS. I imagine this is their latest attempt. Maybe this...
Google has built high-end Chromebooks before (like the Pixelbook) and there have been previous kludgy attempts to merge Android and ChromeOS. I imagine this is their latest attempt. Maybe this time it will work?
It will certainly run Chrome. I wonder whether you will be able to turn the AI stuff off?
They are partnering with other manufacturers like they do for Chromebooks, so it seems more like an evolution and rebranding exercise?
So, it's a Chromebook but with a presumably updated operating system that has stronger Android app support, and far more AI slop baked into it. I think I'll pass. ChromeOS feels like little more...
So, it's a Chromebook but with a presumably updated operating system that has stronger Android app support, and far more AI slop baked into it.
I think I'll pass. ChromeOS feels like little more than an overglorified Chrome browser operating system, and even when later versions and newer Chromebooks started supporting Android apps, the useful ones either got support pulled (i.e. anything Microslop 365) or run like shit (any Android game.)
At this point the MacBook Neo has them beat and has shown that Apple's gamble on ditching x86 and producing their own ARM chips paid off in dividends. They've thrown an iPhone SoC into their budget laptop and produced something that utterly shits all over comparatively priced AMD and Intel chips.
It's funny to think that a lot of people are giving Apple heat these days for "not innovating" in AI... but by merit of enshittifying their ecosystem slightly slower than others, and investing in...
It's funny to think that a lot of people are giving Apple heat these days for "not innovating" in AI... but by merit of enshittifying their ecosystem slightly slower than others, and investing in real-world improvements like better CPUs (and consequently better battery life) they've made the only Big Tech laptop hardware worth buying in the last decade.
Cool to see this finally announced, certainly an Interesting product line since it's now got some serious competition with the MacBook Neo. I truly do wonder what the price point will be. Cool to...
Cool to see this finally announced, certainly an Interesting product line since it's now got some serious competition with the MacBook Neo. I truly do wonder what the price point will be. Cool to see the glowbar return from the Pixelbooks, always loved the little Google motif.
Interested in seeing how this new platform fares. They say it's "built on the Android stack" so I assume it's built off the Android 16/17 desktop mode with a lot of ChromeOS influence on things. Google also mentioned an AI mouse pointer which sounds mildly useful. Its not an AI moving your mouse pointer but an AI reading what's under your pointer and giving you suggestions system wide which I guess can be useful if you're constantly context switching.
I wonder if this will expand capabilities of existing phones with a real desktop interface. I still think that idea of docking your phone with a laptop shell is a good one, like the Motorola...
I wonder if this will expand capabilities of existing phones with a real desktop interface. I still think that idea of docking your phone with a laptop shell is a good one, like the Motorola Atrix. That one didn't work out since the phone was so underpowered compared to laptop CPUs, but nowadays my phone has higher single core performance than any desktop/laptop in my house, with pretty good multi-core as well.
There are things like the Nex dock, but I feel like Samsung's Dex is not a polished experience, while offerings from other phone makers are even worse. If google is making real improvements to their android desktop experience I'm all for it.
Having tried Samsung's new DeX experience, it's still pretty rough. It tries to bring some of the laptop paradigms like virtual desktops and stuff but it's still really clunky. I haven't tried the...
Having tried Samsung's new DeX experience, it's still pretty rough. It tries to bring some of the laptop paradigms like virtual desktops and stuff but it's still really clunky. I haven't tried the new Pixel desktop UI yet though DeX is built on top of it so no clue how good it is.
It’s Google making a laptop, again, so it’s doomed from the start even if they get the basics right, but I do wonder, who uses computers the way it’s being advertised on the landing page? I’m...
It’s Google making a laptop, again, so it’s doomed from the start even if they get the basics right, but I do wonder, who uses computers the way it’s being advertised on the landing page? I’m around relatively technical people who are informed enough to make conscious decisions about the tech they use and the way to use them, so I don’t want to dismiss anything straight away from my bubble, but I am genuinely curious. I have not seen nor heard of a single person who uses AI to do shopping, for example.
Maybe I am overlooking it - but have we seen the pricing on these laptops yet? Also, do we know if the Gemini is included with the hardware or is it a separate price tag?
Maybe I am overlooking it - but have we seen the pricing on these laptops yet? Also, do we know if the Gemini is included with the hardware or is it a separate price tag?
From the tag line:
The tagline immediately tells me that Google is testing the water to see how they could do with a direct competitor to the Apple laptop line. I'm fairly anti-Apple, and while I'm not explicitly pro-Google, I love my Pixel phone, and some of the services I get from Google, but I'm not here to sell or defend them -- they do shitty things just like so many other major companies seem to.
But no part of me wants anything to do with this product. For what I've used it for, Gemini has been fine, but the results often leave more to be desired. I've switched almost exclusively to Claude for when I want help with code or Linux related tasks. And selectively using Gemini in a Firefox container for what and when I want to is plenty enough for me, I don't have faith at all that building it "at [it's] core" is going to produce the results they're trying to sell here.
I look forward to seeing posted on here in 3 years that this product line has joined the Google graveyard.
Yeah as hopeful as I am for Google on this, I can't help but feel like this will die quick. I feel like outside of the Pixel phones, Google has had pretty short visions for their mobile consumer hardware. They seem to expect big success from the outlook instead of letting things marinate for a few years and then fall flat on their face.
They also don't seem to want to innovate. Three of their two headlines here don't hold much water:
Those both seem like table stakes for any new Google product. They also seem to be as good for Google as they are for the consumer. The third headline alludes to premium hardware and design, one of which is interesting to me, but without any details I can't get excited about it.
Granted this was written as a hype piece, and not for people like me.
The thing that holds me back from actually being willing to try one of their laptop products is productivity.
While I don't use it, the Google Docs suite is pretty compatible to MS Office, and I can get all the extensions I need through it. But outside of that, not everything I use is a browser app, and I don't want an upscaled ported mobile version through the Play Store.
For example, the mobile app version of BeerSmith is hot garbage, I tried it, but it just doesn't hold a candle to the desktop version. The Adobe suite, my CAD program, Steam, Battle.net, and Notepad++, to name a few, are programs I want to have the same full range of motion that they do on my (Windows) desktop. Not to mention things like the lockdown browser I'm required to use for exams in the program I'm enrolled in right now. These are "needs" for me, not "wants".
I think if Google offered some kind of deal with developers, along the lines of "Develop a version of your program that works on our devices, and we'll pay you an extra $20 for every copy of it that sells for the first 5,000 copies", or some kind of incentive like that, then I could see motivation for those programs to expand to Google's platform, and I'd be willing to give it a try.
I'm still confused why better Linux support was left to die on the vine. Chromebooks could be a serious option if they supported everything a Linux box provides.
Yeah that's the big downside of any new platform in the modern day. We're pretty entrenched in the Windows, macOS, and, to an extent, Linux trifecta of main PC platforms. It's the same with iOS/Android. Think Huawei recently introduced their own new mobile phone platform, HarmonyOS that's been doing decently well and even it includes an Android compatibility mode to run Android apps alongside apps developed for Harmony.
I read an article once about how OS/2 added Windows compatibility and the thesis was that it actually expedited it's own downfall because 1) no one ported their software since people could already run it, and 2) people figured they might as well go with Windows since that's what the software was intended to run on. I thought that was pretty interesting. I'm not sure what the move is to gain traction other than paying everyone to port their software, but MS tried that (a bit) with Windows Phone and I assume it turned out to be too expensive (or they just got distracted, which MS tends to do).
Is this going to kill the Chromebook as we know it? I was at the point of recommending those over Windows laptops, but if they're sticking in AI and beefing up cost/specs, then I'll need to find a new recommendation. We may be entering a world where I can only earnestly recommend a Mac, I'll be damned.
Google has built high-end Chromebooks before (like the Pixelbook) and there have been previous kludgy attempts to merge Android and ChromeOS. I imagine this is their latest attempt. Maybe this time it will work?
It will certainly run Chrome. I wonder whether you will be able to turn the AI stuff off?
They are partnering with other manufacturers like they do for Chromebooks, so it seems more like an evolution and rebranding exercise?
So, it's a Chromebook but with a presumably updated operating system that has stronger Android app support, and far more AI slop baked into it.
I think I'll pass. ChromeOS feels like little more than an overglorified Chrome browser operating system, and even when later versions and newer Chromebooks started supporting Android apps, the useful ones either got support pulled (i.e. anything Microslop 365) or run like shit (any Android game.)
At this point the MacBook Neo has them beat and has shown that Apple's gamble on ditching x86 and producing their own ARM chips paid off in dividends. They've thrown an iPhone SoC into their budget laptop and produced something that utterly shits all over comparatively priced AMD and Intel chips.
It's funny to think that a lot of people are giving Apple heat these days for "not innovating" in AI... but by merit of enshittifying their ecosystem slightly slower than others, and investing in real-world improvements like better CPUs (and consequently better battery life) they've made the only Big Tech laptop hardware worth buying in the last decade.
Cool to see this finally announced, certainly an Interesting product line since it's now got some serious competition with the MacBook Neo. I truly do wonder what the price point will be. Cool to see the glowbar return from the Pixelbooks, always loved the little Google motif.
Interested in seeing how this new platform fares. They say it's "built on the Android stack" so I assume it's built off the Android 16/17 desktop mode with a lot of ChromeOS influence on things. Google also mentioned an AI mouse pointer which sounds mildly useful. Its not an AI moving your mouse pointer but an AI reading what's under your pointer and giving you suggestions system wide which I guess can be useful if you're constantly context switching.
I wonder if this will expand capabilities of existing phones with a real desktop interface. I still think that idea of docking your phone with a laptop shell is a good one, like the Motorola Atrix. That one didn't work out since the phone was so underpowered compared to laptop CPUs, but nowadays my phone has higher single core performance than any desktop/laptop in my house, with pretty good multi-core as well.
There are things like the Nex dock, but I feel like Samsung's Dex is not a polished experience, while offerings from other phone makers are even worse. If google is making real improvements to their android desktop experience I'm all for it.
Having tried Samsung's new DeX experience, it's still pretty rough. It tries to bring some of the laptop paradigms like virtual desktops and stuff but it's still really clunky. I haven't tried the new Pixel desktop UI yet though DeX is built on top of it so no clue how good it is.
It's okay on Pixels. The font and render scaling leave a lot to be desired. Some apps like YouTube are surprisingly hard to use with weird UI layouts.
It’s Google making a laptop, again, so it’s doomed from the start even if they get the basics right, but I do wonder, who uses computers the way it’s being advertised on the landing page? I’m around relatively technical people who are informed enough to make conscious decisions about the tech they use and the way to use them, so I don’t want to dismiss anything straight away from my bubble, but I am genuinely curious. I have not seen nor heard of a single person who uses AI to do shopping, for example.
Maybe I am overlooking it - but have we seen the pricing on these laptops yet? Also, do we know if the Gemini is included with the hardware or is it a separate price tag?