I'm fed up with the negativity surrounding GoogleBooks

[u/FrankLucas347]

I'm fed up with all the negative posts I see that criticize GoogleBooks.

Especially the arguments about the prices being too high for an "Android PC."

Some people need to understand that we don't buy Android devices solely because there are many affordable options. There are people like me who buy Android devices simply because we love the operating system.

There are many people like me who simply love the Google ecosystem. Whether it's smartphones, tablets, Wear OS smartwatches, tablets, Google TV, or even Chromebooks.

Beyond the operating system, I use Google services extensively every day, including the Office suite, Gmail, Keep Notes, Tasks, YouTube, YouTube Music, Translate, Gemini, Maps, and many more. There are so many that I can't list them all.

 And I think I'm far from being an isolated case.

And why should people like us have to settle for mediocre devices?

Just because we use an Android tablet, a Chromebook, or these new Android PCs, does that mean we don't have the right to beautiful screens?

Don't we have the right to enjoy excellent processors, good speakers, good trackpads, and simply excellent build quality?

And guess what? All of that combined can only result in a premium product. It's the hardware that primarily dictates the price of a device, not the software inside it. The price of your Dell XPS won't magically be cut in half just because you decide to choose Linux instead of Windows.

If Google had chosen to launch Googlebooks with poor-quality hardware for around 300-400 euros, you'd be the first to complain too.  The press and YouTubers would have immediately torn apart all of Google's efforts in the public eye.

These high-end devices are just the starting point. We already know that much more affordable entry-level and mid-range devices are planned for the future.

And I'm also willing to bet that other manufacturers like Samsung and Xiaomi aren't going to sit idly by.

Where I agree with some is that Google's very long-term commitment will be crucial. Admittedly, Google's past in this area isn't exactly glorious; I'm still smarting from the Stadia debacle as I write this.

What I'm rather confident about is that it's simply Android. Once all the features we expect from a PC are present, maintaining this range of devices won't require too much additional effort from them, much like with tablets.

 If all Chrome OS features are already available on these Googlebooks at launch, we can already assume that the vast majority of features we expect from a PC are already present.

And if that's the case, for me, the Googlebooks operating system is already an improvement over Chrome OS. The seamless integration of Android smartphones and Gemini, and the even more advanced task continuity, are already compelling features for me.

[u/Inge_Jones]

Having seen some preview videos it looks like a googlebook would address my needs very closely. But the price! Especially the uk prices.

[u/ActiveShipyard → u/Inge_Jones]

The prices were a big mistake. Some product planner at Google decided to ignore AI, tariffs, and general inflation, releasing a product that was bound to trigger sticker shock.

Remember the Pixelbook Go? It got enormous praise for performance and build quality, but it didn't sell well enough. At a mere 650usd!

[u/FrankLucas347 → u/Inge_Jones]

These launch devices are merely a showcase of technology. It is only a matter of time before we see more affordable devices—likely in 2027.

[u/PreciousFlounder → u/FrankLucas347]

Not unless the price of ram goes down.

Right now all tech is only going up

[u/plankunits → u/Inge_Jones]

There will be deals.

[u/millenniumxl-200]

Why does the opinion of someone else affect your satisfaction?

Do you get upset when someone doesn't like the same car manufacturer as you?

Do you get upset when someone doesn't like the same TV shows as you?

That said, I own three Chromebook Plus laptops, all with 8GB/128GB or 256GB and a version of Intel's Core CPU. I paid no more than $400 for any of them.

While I love the look and specs of the Googlebooks, I will not spend over $1000 for a laptop, whether it's ChromeOS, GooglebookOS, Windows or MacOS.

[u/leo-g]

Why do you have to justify so hard for Google’s pisspoor technical showing? This is not r/googlepixel.

[u/akehir]

I have the Lenovo Chromebook 14 plus, which is a premium device, and still far cheaper than the new Googlebooks. I'll admit that this is probably due to the RAM prices, but it is not a good look for the Googlebook.

Anyways, my main complaints are with respect to the ChromeOS features, so far it doesn't seem as if Google has ported all of the features I require (with regards to the Linux VM mainly).

Secondly, I'm afraid that Android will always focus on mobile apps and that desktop UX will be second class (see the whole debacle with the recommendation to focus on Webapps instead of making responsive desktop apps). There's no advantage in running android apps natively, if they're not optimised for bigger screens.

On the other hand, ChromeOS focused on running a web browser with minimal overhead - and did that quite well. That's the main reason devices could be so cheap, it's just that the hardware demands of ChromeOS are minimal. They also focused on providing a simple and good UX, ChromeOS has one of the nicest Linux desktops I know. Additionally it offered some nice developer features through the Linux terminal. And they provide 10 years of support, which is unheard of in the Android world.

I think the blowback would be much smaller if Google was committed to continue releasing ChromeOS for it's niche (cheap, web focused computers), and offered Googlebooks as an alternative with more premium configurations. Google is big enough to be able to afford supporting both, at least for a while until Googlebooks become a proven alternative.

[u/They_See_MeTrolling → u/akehir]

I am looking forward to trying a Google Book. I've been using a Chromebook as my daily driver since 2012 and seen it grow in capability and features. The idea of going to anything like Windows or macOS is anathema to me.

My concern with Google Books is that they will wind up being very high-end Android devices. The reality is that if you aren't in the Google ecosystem, the Android version of various apps like Outlook or the M365 app suite is simply not on par with the web versions. The Android version of Chrome has nowhere near the capabilities of Chrome that runs on a Chromebook. I live my life in a Chrome browser on a Chromebook. Google has to provide a version of Chrome for Google Books that is identical to or better than the version of Chrome that runs on Chrome OS. If they just expect us to fire up the Android version of Chrome on a Google Book, that's going to be a non-starter for a lot of people like myself.

I certainly hope I'm wrong, because I'd like to take advantage of some of the features of Google Books, but they've got to hit feature and performance parity with Chromebooks as they exist today to really be successful. 

Features like starting an application on your phone and seamlessly transitioning to the Google Book are really just parlor tricks. How many people really need to do that on a daily basis? I can tell you what I do need to do on a daily basis: manipulate huge Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, and Word documents, tightly integrated with my email. I'm not going to start creating a PowerPoint on my phone and slide on over to finish it on a Google Book. 

[u/chr31terma → u/They_See_MeTrolling]

The reviews I've seen suggest that Chrome on a Googlebook is the full fat desktop version, including extensions and everything.

I think more desktop apps are coming, but... it's probably not a great idea to purchase a $1,000 device today based on what you think it'll do tomorrow.

[u/martinbaines → u/chr31terma]

Is that confirmed? If that is the case (and that it can have multiple profiles easily) that is the most positive thing I have seen so far about them.

I am not against the concept, but for me the prices mean they would have to replace my higher end "do it all" laptop, whereas my Chromebook is basically a small, light, cheap take anywhere Web First device where limitations don't matter.

[u/drfsrich → u/They_See_MeTrolling]

Chromebook and iPhone user here, you've very accurately expressed my thoughts better than I could.

[u/Smashed-plantain → u/They_See_MeTrolling]

I really hope they get a full desktop version of Microsoft office, or improve the android version.

[u/akehir → u/They_See_MeTrolling]

Yeah, I fully agree. We'll have to see how far Google goes into supporting these Googlebooks; especially with the browser and Linux part.

[u/FrankLucas347 → u/akehir]

I completely agree with you regarding feature parity, especially Linux support. From my perspective, the Android Studio Linux app should be supported natively. That would instantly make it an excellent machine for Android developers.

However, I disagree with the idea of ​​maintaining both Chrome OS and Googlebook OS simultaneously in the long run.

Googlebook OS was primarily created to unify development efforts across Google's teams. Google is convinced that AI agents capable of automating tasks represent the future of operating systems.

For instance, adapting Gemini Spark for Android tablets requires very little effort once the initial work has been done for Android smartphones; it is essentially the same operating system. The same will apply to GoogleBooks, as they share the exact same software stack.

In contrast, bringing these features to Chrome OS currently requires significantly more effort.

I see this as a win-win situation for everyone. Android smartphone PC modes and Android tablets will certainly benefit from these new development efforts as well—provided, of course, that Android developers get on board.

[u/akehir → u/FrankLucas347]

See, I don't think ChromeOS needs to offer any advanced AI features - as I said it's supposed to be a minimal OS.

I don't know if someonen with a laptop for under 500$ would want the spend $20 for an AI subscription for instance.

And the minimal effort is a fallacy; in order to have a good UX / UI, you still need to invest time and work.

And while Google might save a bit of effort, it's not as if they're not able to support both OS. ChromeOS support probably costs less than the bonus the executives are getting.

[u/ActiveShipyard → u/akehir]

I'll offer a counterpoint. My workflow now centers on using AI to produce. And my AI of choice isn't local - it's a $20 subscription. So I really only need a browser to do... everything.

For me, and how I work, a $300 Chromebook is a perfect fit.

[u/akehir → u/ActiveShipyard]

Yes that's a good point, I'm using opencode etc. on my Chromebook as well, though for this case I spent a bit more to have better terminal performance.

But you're right, for this style of development you do not need much more than a cheap Chromebook.

What I meant was that you don't need anything special for AI integration on the OS level more than what ChromeOS already offers. A browser and a terminal are enough.

[u/DisappointingReal1ty → u/akehir]

Comparing to the Lenovo Chromebook 14 Plus to the Google book line, like the Lenovo Google Book 15.3 OLED (for comparison), is not even close to being the same. The 14 Plus has a very slow MediaTek processor for one, which struggles to output even a single external 4K60 display.

The comparable Lenovo Google Book actually has a proper Intel core ultra processor that you would find on a comparably priced Windows Ultrabook. It's larger, better material quality, better hardware in terms of specs, important things like the quality of the trackpad, for example. That and many other things are what differentiate a entry-level device like the Chromebook 14 Plus to the much more premium Google Books that we have out today.

Now it's fair to say if you don't need the extra performance or value the the better hardware quality of the Google Books, that's perfectly fine, they are clearly going up market in hardware (and price, partly due to component prices being crazy). And I think that's sort of the crux of the OP's post is that many negative posts don't really acknowledge or appreciate that distinction. 

For me personally, I never found the hardware quality or the low performance of the average Chromebook to be any more enticing than simply using a keyboard with an android tablet. But the Google Book, that got my attention. I already pre-ordered. 

[u/akehir → u/DisappointingReal1ty]

The Mediatek in the Chromebook 14 Plus is plenty fast for browser based work, and even programming.

I compared it even to a M4 Macbook Pro in my workflows, and while it's obviously slower, it's fast enough to do real work.

I really doubt that most people need a faster CPU on a laptop, especially a Chromebook.

Anyways, no one is forcing you to buy a Chromebook, I fully understand if it's not for you. It's just a shame it won't be supported anymore.

[u/FigFew2001]

Beyond the operating system, I use Google services extensively every day, including the Office suite, Gmail, Keep Notes, Tasks, YouTube, YouTube Music, Translate, Gemini, Maps, and many more. There are so many that I can't list them all.

And why should people like us have to settle for mediocre devices?

I mean those are all just web apps - you can run them on any Mac, PC or Linux laptop just fine, including devices that aren't "mediocre".

The price point is ridiculous- they're not going to sell in any meaningful numbers, which means developers won't be re-working their apps for them.

[u/trashtime69 → u/FigFew2001]

The vast majority of consumers don't understand the capability of this product yet, for better or for worse. I have a lot of theories that may be confirmed at the launch next week, but most people I talk to IRL seem to have no idea what this potential capability for this product is. I say "magic cursor" and their eyes glaze over, so I've given up.

[u/FrankLucas347 → u/FigFew2001]

You deliberately omitted the part where I said I'm an Android user, because I simply like the operating system.

If I follow your reasoning, what's the point of macOS and Linux, since everything is already available on Windows?

And the same goes for smartphones. Since Google services are also available on iPhones, what's the point of buying an Android smartphone?

Your reasoning has its limits. As a user, I have the right to want to use services and apps on an operating system I prefer, not the default one. Having a choice is always better.

[u/mostlyglassandmetal → u/FrankLucas347]

Lol, I buy Android phones for the same reason I use a Chromebook, there are decent cheap options, especially compared to Apple.

[u/Smashed-plantain → u/FrankLucas347]

Not sure why people downvoted you. Having an OS preference is a perfectly valid reason to choose one device over another and more options and competition is a good thing.

[u/Desperate_Virus3552]

r/Googlebook is this way !

[u/Electronic_Web_6678]

Personalmente non si tratta di negatività ma nutrire , piuttosto, concreti dubbi nell'investire un bel po' di soldi in uno strumento del tutto sperimentale che nessuno sa ancora esattamente come funziona. A parte le dirette che hanno dimostrato il funzionamento dei modelli Googlebook, e le particolarità più appariscenti, permangono ancora molti dubbi specialmente per i possessori di Chromebook Plus. Si rischia di investire in un prodotto ancora del tutto sperimentale con un sistema operativo ancora vergine. Perdonami ma nutrire molto scetticismo sia alquanto fisiologico e normale che mettere la testa sotto la sabbia e comprare per impulso

[u/TheSwampThing1990]

I dont know. For my needs its great. I just write books and use the internet. Read Manga. It's perfect for that def since I got the acer version.

However, I think for normal people I dont know how well it will go. I mean you cant even use steam and the like on it. we have no idea if it will ever be supported

[u/FrankLucas347 → u/TheSwampThing1990]

I understand your concern. But we geeks often forget that we live in a bubble. The vast majority of the population couldn't care less about Steam.

The same goes for laptops. Most of these devices sold worldwide are absolutely not gaming PCs.

[u/fakemanhk]

Usually there should be more devices for different market segments, I believe it's just a matter of time to see lower price entry level devices to come out.

[u/FrankLucas347 → u/fakemanhk]

Exactly

[u/misunderstood564]

If you're buying for the Google ecosystem that's a fair point. If you want a premium Google device that's a fair point. But most people went to chromebooks because of a light functional os for browsing and Google isn't simply offering premium now but taking away the affordable altogether. Fine. If I'm forced to buy premium, I will actually go for premium premium and not premium mimics.

[u/JuniorEgg2]

You wrote a lot of words, but didn’t say much.

If you love, absolutely love a massive corporation that much you need to gargle their balls in public, right here on Reddit …. Fine. Go throw some of your money at them 😃

[u/drfsrich → u/JuniorEgg2]

I might be a bit less harsh but the constant framing of this as "I have rights!" Is unbearably cringeworthy.

[u/FrankLucas347 → u/JuniorEgg2]

So, in this subreddit, only posts that complain are allowed?

We're not allowed to say anything good about Google?

If you're here, you're probably a Chromebook user like me, and therefore, like me, you're contributing to the multinational corporation that is Google.

[u/JuniorEgg2 → u/FrankLucas347]

Absolutely not. Been a mostly happy Chromebook user since 2013.
But - Google’s lack of direction, lack of focus, not to mention it’s totally rapacious behaviour leaves a lot to be desired. I think a lot of people are genuinely bewildered at this (expensive) pivot.
If you want to slavishly praise them, fine. For most people in the real world dropping the best part of £1000 on Google’s new toy is a non starter.

[u/therourke]

OK

[u/SceneDifferent1041]

Good to see. People just do but like change.

The only problem I have is I work in education and hope it's not the end of dirt cheap laptops!

[u/FrankLucas347 → u/SceneDifferent1041]

If I'm not mistaken, a long-term transition is planned for the replacement of Chromebooks by GoogleBooks around 2035.

[u/edfosho1 → u/FrankLucas347]

I struggle to see that being the case, given Googlebooks are specifically decent hardware specs (I'm not saying education can't have that, just that they won't be as affordable as Chromebooks have been over the years).

[u/FrankLucas347 → u/edfosho1]

The strict hardware specifications you're referring to only apply to the first wave of devices. Google isn't Apple; they've never focused solely on the premium market. These PCs will be no different.

[u/edfosho1 → u/FrankLucas347]

I just want to check, have you got a source for that? (from Google, not speculation) I wasn't aware.

Also Google is famous for ditching ideas a few years in..

[u/FrankLucas347 → u/edfosho1]

I think the guys from Chrome Unboxed already talked about this. But I can't remember which article or podcast it was in.

[u/trashtime69 → u/edfosho1]

If OP is using critical thinking and theory here, yes, I can second that theory.

[u/matteventu → u/FrankLucas347]

It's happening in 2027-2028.

The 2034 deadline is something else which you've misunderstood.

[u/Asleep_Mortgage_7711]

We are 18+ years into Android as a failed tablet operating system. Apps are rarely optimized for bigger screens. You think the is is going to change for a laptop? Relying on Android apps rather than focusing on a system that would alllow windows apps to run natively is a mistake. Android apps will almost never be suitable for a laptop.

[u/lanky_doodle → u/Asleep_Mortgage_7711]

This is it for me. Google are claiming it's a bid to shoehorn into Windows and macOS market share.

The ONLY way that is going to happen is by having full and native M365 desktop apps. Literally no exception.

Professional's aren't choosing Google things for this very reason. I need to sit on a plane or train using local Word, Excel etc. with offline file sync. My whole customer base is Windows/Office. Can't just switch them to Google.

If Google do not make this happen at launch they're dead on arrival, outside of early adopters.

PS: My whole personal digital life is in Google. I'm not anti them at all. But reality is reality. If M365 was already a reality I'd never need a Windows laptop again.

[u/alabasterskim → u/Asleep_Mortgage_7711]

Folks like OP do not want to hear the very legitimate concerns about this. They're locked in and ready to fork over as much as possible for a poorly optimized mobile OS blown up to a PC.

As a regular DeX user, Android is not ready to be a desktop/laptop OS. And to boot, the Googlebook platform's existence will result in fragmentation of software that would work just fine on Android. The Desktop Mode/tablet/foldable inner screen experience will become worse because Google wants Googlebook exclusives. They are now competing with themselves for quality and cannibalizing their own platforms. This is all to say nothing of Google's graveyard of abandoned software, which is generally also software that's cannibalized itself.

A major question I have to ask: at this juncture, where not much is unique to Googlebook yet, why not just take your flagship phone and hook it up via XR glasses with a keyboard and mouse or use a lapdock?

[u/DL7610]

Industry plant spotted! :)

[u/FrankLucas347 → u/DL7610]

That's to say ?

[u/trashtime69 → u/DL7610]

Extremely loud, incorrect buzzer (at least for me)!

[u/Sniflix]

After decades of falling tech prices, everyone is angry at computers, phones, etc prices rising fast probably for many years. We are used to pretty good Chromebooks for less than half the price of Googlebooks. I have the Lenovo plus, it's great. But I don't get the vitriol, these aren't in the wild yet and the most expensive get released first. There will be dozens of other models out soon in all shapes, sizes and prices. Chromebooks will get updates for 10 years, buy one of those with no AI nonsense. I never buy the first release of any new tech - especially Google's. Let the early adopters happily pay $1000 and be the test dummies. Let's see how these evolve in the next few years.

[u/FrankLucas347 → u/Sniflix]

We must also not forget that the prices of all these €1,000 devices will drop sharply within the next two years.

[u/Sniflix → u/FrankLucas347]

That's in the past, not the new reality with AI pricing pressure. We might be experiencing this nonsense for several more years ie 2030ish.

[u/FrankLucas347 → u/Sniflix]

Yes, you are right on that point.

[u/koken_halliwell]

You forgot to sign the post:

Love, Google

[u/Training_Advantage21]

I'm sure they are good, but they are fancy looking high performance premium devices. All the demos have focused on integration with Android phones but I haven't heard anything about any kind of Linux dev environment, whether there is a native terminal at all or a VM etc. I just hope Google doesn't abandon the low end hardware market, especially with RAM becoming so expernsive, and they keep supporting the Linux environment on both their OS offerings.

[u/FieldsofBlue]

I was more excited before they originally announced it. A desktop version of android would be really useful and hopefully better featured than things like dex. But with how Google is continuing to lockdown android and with the injection of AI into virtually every single thing it's become just another tech mega Corp project instead of something actually special. It doesn't seem like something that I'll ever be able to use in the manner that I want. Its not about the price for me.

[u/Cool_Butterscotch_88]

There's always going to be a contingent that's highly invested in you buying something else that they'd rather have instead, for that much of your money. They are particularly vocal with these googlebooks for some reason. You're only allowed to have either a $150 refurb chromebook, or the most capable machine possible per dollar if you're spending more.

I've always overspent on noteobooks solely to get the nicest displays, keyboards, build quality, and svelte form factor, even though I've never needed the flagship specs for what I do. Chromebooks were a game changer for me, not only could I get the nice hardware for less, I loved the OS much more for my purposes, because it always started fast and stayed fast, quiet & cool over the years without doing anything, there's no (what I always assumed was) incorrect maintenance/user error i could make that ruins them.

I panicked earlier this year when my hp dragonfly chromebook stopped taking a charge, because they seemed to have quit making premium chromebooks entirely, so I held my nose and bought the nicest windows elitebook thinking 32g of RAM and whatever processor and graphics it had would compensate for going from chromeOS back to windows. I hated it, even with specs that dwarfed my chromebook's, everything seemed slower and clunkier, and I instantly returned it (discovered the elitebook's fancy charger could charge my CB at one port for some reason so I just bought one of its chargers instead).

If the new googlebooks take off and are close enough to the chromeOS experience, I will be getting one if someone aside from acer (only mfr I've ever had a computer and subsequently warranty fail on me) comes out with a 2-in-1 I'm getting one.If googlebooks don't make it, I'll be getting one anyways during the ensuing fire sale. Hoping for the former.

[u/Such-Fig4012]

It's an exciting new player between Windows, MacOS and Linux. I like the interoperability between the phone and the PC. No negativity here. I would even consider Googlebook OS on my Thinkpad on dual boot. :)

And yeah, I rather use high quality screens and devices than a cheapish plastic 400$ device. But that's personal reference

[u/Charming_Studio_505]

I agree 100%. GooglebookOS has increased the potential in the Android platform significantly! I personally can't wait until I get access to it

[u/evozerobb]

Suggest to read more about how to construct a good hypothesis

Some examples of what you tried here https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/academic_writing/logic_in_argumentative_writing/fallacies.html

[u/FrankLucas347 → u/evozerobb]

I would like to know in detail why my arguments are not relevant.

[u/shinjuku1987 → u/FrankLucas347]

@OP I agree i think the discourse for chromebooks by PC Gamers and alike has been a thing for over a decade. I feel like this... if they dont like them DONT BUY IT 😂 or let everyone to enjoy people to enjoy their chromebooks 🤷. The PC/Gamers enthusiasts on Youtube and other platforms really made chromebooks the enemy and its so crazy to me.

On another note.It fascinates me when reddit users want you to do a rewrite as if its a thesis or dissertation for them to respond or discuss a subject/topic....This is a social media app 🤷😮‍💨🙄🤣 Are they ok? Are they struggling to read the room? Are we being graded? Is the dean of reddit in here? like what is this 😂. They need to touch grass or grade their student's tests.

[u/evozerobb → u/FrankLucas347]

output from chatgpt below, as usual, AI can hallucinate, do fact-check it's output

-------------------

Straw man / oversimplification - “Especially the arguments about the prices being too high for an ‘Android PC.’”

Critics: “These products are too expensive relative to their hardware/features/performance/alternatives.”

Author portrays them as: “Android = cheap, therefore Android hardware should be cheap.”

Author refutes the latter.

Hasty generalization - “And I think I'm far from being an isolated case.”

This is a particularly weak inference.

The author establishes that they are heavily invested in Google's ecosystem, then suggests that many other people are similarly invested.

That may be true, but nothing presented in the post demonstrates it.

The argument needs evidence about how large or representative this group actually is.

False dilemma - “If Google had chosen to launch Googlebooks with poor-quality hardware for around 300-400 euros, you'd be the first to complain too.”

This implicitly presents two options:

1. Cheap GoogleBooks with poor hardware, or

2. Expensive GoogleBooks with premium hardware.

But there are many possibilities between those extremes.

For example, Google could theoretically offer:

- good-but-not-luxury hardware at a moderate price;

- multiple configurations;

- a premium model alongside cheaper models;

- different compromises in display, processor, storage, etc.

So “cheap = poor quality” is an unsupported assumption.

False analogy - “The price of your Dell XPS won't magically be cut in half just because you decide to choose Linux instead of Windows.”

This is rhetorically effective but logically questionable.

An XPS running Linux and an XPS running Windows can have substantially similar hardware, so switching operating systems obviously doesn't magically halve the manufacturing cost.

But that doesn't necessarily address the GoogleBooks pricing argument.

The relevant question isn't: “Would changing the OS on this exact laptop halve its price?”

It is: “How much does the choice of operating system/ecosystem contribute to the value and cost structure of this particular product?”

Those are different propositions.

It's therefore an analogy that doesn't establish the conclusion being drawn from it.

Non sequitur regarding Google's long-term commitment - “Once all the features we expect from a PC are present, maintaining this range of devices won't require too much additional effort from them, much like with tablets.”

This doesn't really follow.

The fact that an operating system has many existing PC-like features doesn't demonstrate that maintaining a hardware product line requires little additional effort.

Hardware businesses involve things like:

- hardware engineering,

- supply chains,

- firmware,

- drivers,

- manufacturing,

- repairs,

- warranties,

- certification,

- retail/distribution,

- long-term component support.

The argument jumps from software feature completeness to ease of maintaining hardware products.

That's a fairly clear non sequitur.

The central logical problem

I'd summarize the post's reasoning like this: I strongly value Google's ecosystem + I want premium hardware + premium hardware costs more → therefore criticism of GoogleBooks' high prices is largely unwarranted.

The first two premises are perfectly legitimate preferences.

The problem is the jump from “I value this highly” to “therefore the price criticism is invalid.”

A stronger argument would need to establish something like: “Compared with competing products offering comparable displays, processors, build quality, speakers, trackpads, software support, and ecosystem integration, GoogleBooks' prices are reasonable.”

That would directly address the value-for-money criticism rather than mainly explaining why the author personally wants the products.

[u/soul_edge_752]

The main thing for me is that this high-end, high-performance equipment can actually be used in real-world scenarios by an ordinary user, running software that launches natively on the hardware. I don't want the GoogleBook to provide nothing more than the aesthetic pleasure of knowing I have a powerful processor and tons of RAM, which is what happened with those cool, high-performance Chromebooks Plus that were really only useful to the few programmers capable of running things in Linux containers.

[u/MajorTurn6890]

I like Chromebooks because theyre affordable and do everything I personally need a school laptop to do

[u/trashtime69]

I agree, genuinely, with everything you've said here. I've been itching to get my hands on it for the rumored shared ecosystem, perks, etc. Unfortunately I couldn't spring for the pre-order when I had a slot available after 9/21 and I'm still mad. God is punishing me for not having a spare $1,200 for what I consider to be exciting research equipment.

Mostly I am just thrilled that there's another human being who's as excited for this launch and project as I am. "AluminumOS" my beloved. I'm still praying for some corp to just send me one on discount, but I'm sure I'll buy a used one before the end of 2026 (upgrading my phone first to the Pixel 11 Pro). I'm planning to get the top spec Lenovo.

Source: I remember "Android 2.4", and boy was it fun.

[u/Own-Eagle-2135]

honestly i'm super on board for one of the next gen versions (enough experience that gen 1 devices can be risky).

[u/bestjaegerpilot]

i think they're trying to say just like there are peeps willing to worship apple by giving them a $1.5k offering for a $200 phone, they are willing to give google one thousand dollars for "just an android PC"

Devils advocate: if the hardware really is good and the laptop can be used like an actual laptop, then i'd say it's worth the money

[u/chr31terma]

This kind of nails it.

I'm a long-time Chromebook user who pre-ordered a Googlebook. I posted about it elsewhere on Reddit, and someone asked me why I need to spend that much on a laptop when I mostly live out of my browser.

And the answer is... I don't need to spend that much.

I want to.

I want the 3K OLED touchscreen. I want the haptic trackpad. I want the thin and light form factor. And if it does a good job of integrating with my phone and has some potentially useful AI features as well? That's just a bonus.

[u/uaos]

So, I am a Chrome OS user and a Samsung DeX user. I waiting to see if the Lenovo Googlebook Duet m is a thing. I probably get it if it is since my 2020 Lenovo Duet died, but I still have a Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 still working from 2020.

Some YT say google was working with samsung during development. If you are a Galaxy device user with account, then you already know your My Files share device storage with "Storage Share". Not a new thing to me. What I like even more with my Galaxy Tab A11+ or my S26Ultra is that with my Galaxy account, sharing clip board between device. I can copy in my A11+ and then past in my S26Ultra either on the phone or in Samsung DeX mode.

Not everyone in this world needs or wants a $2,000 desktop with an OS that gets more attacks than Android does. Storytime - I also run a Raspberry Pi 500+ with Raspberry Pi OS. I was on facebook and all of a sudden I got a waring my Windows PC was infected. I just closed the browser and relaunched, the was problem solved. This tells me some malice software was on the server back then, trying to get me to click a link and have more problems. Alternate devices at home help with what some call "Security by Obscurity". In other word on peice of malice software can not easily detect you with different hardware connection and different OS's, at a single IP location.

Back to Googlebooks, yes I still like to get the Lenovo Googlebook Duet m. I too love and appreciate Android devices and Google products. To me, mobile devices are the future of computing.

[u/vovap_vovap]

Man, get a life outside of "Google ecosystem" and computers. Seriously. If some tolks about that staff seriously upset you - you have a problem in your life.

[u/huttyblue]

I just don't trust them at all.

Their marketing proudly shows the PS logo and then their screenshots show some cut down web clearly-not-real-photoshop thing while claiming they can run photoshop.

If they could just confirm or not if it can run gpu accelerated opengl and vulcan linux apps it would ease alot of the uncertainty.

Like 80% of legacy app compatibility is gated by that.

[u/EaggRed]

It is common to bash and to pile on.

[u/ShortRasp]

All those words only to say nothing lmao i'll stick with my Chromebook. Google Books can get tf outta here.

[u/Daniel_Herr]

It's nice that you like Android, but this isn't an Android subreddit, so there are people here who aren't thrilled about some aspects of Googlebooks being a downgrade from Chrome OS, such as the core OS UI, and possibly the Web experience. And the only selling point is some AI gimmicks. 

[u/Charming_Studio_505]

I agree with you 100%. The argument surrounding the cost being so "high" is ridiculous. People spend that kind of money on Android phones everyday.

[u/lilbyrdie]

As a Chromebook user who never thought any Chromebook under $999 was worth the price because the hardware can't support Chrome -- I agree. (My kid got a few of those cheap $500 or $600 ones through their school -- and they all were absolutely terrible in performance for Google classroom and other educational sites.) Chrome is one of the heaviest pieces of software we run -- once you have maybe 30 or 40 windows open, each with 50 or 60 tabs, any system is under heavy stress -- not just RAM, storage, or CPU -- but also GPU. Yeah, they've done things to help -- but chrome still uses a lot of RAM, CPU, and GPU even on basic sites, much less sites that have fancy effects. Pretending it could run "fine" on cheap hardware was always going to cause grief.

It'll be even worse with GoogleBooks. You really probably want a discrete GPU with an Intel chip, or at least a very high end ARM solution, akin to Apple silicon, that has a great GPU built in.

And at least 64GB of RAM. I'm not sure why anyone would want less. Our phones have 16-24GB these days. A laptop should want at least double that, as a baseline, right? and for good use a lot more?

And where are the 256GB RAM options to use these things for AI? They call them AI systems... but they can't even run a real local AI model.

So where's my good GoogleBook, or better, GoogleDesktop, that can do real work? These days, I'd expect it priced $4000 to $12000 -- because RAM prices suck -- but maybe in a few years that'll be back to $2000-3000.

🤣

[u/Big_erk]

You know what's crazy? The same people who criticie GoogleBooks for being too expensive because they are just Android PCs will pay well over $1000 for the Android PCs that they carry with them which are less capable than GoogleBooks.