We don’t get new computing platforms all that often, and that by itself makes the launch of Googlebooks exciting. I don’t have any plans of ever buying one, but I love seeing more competition. I may prefer the Apple ecosystem, but I really don’t like to see Apple being the only viable alternative to a large majority player, like they are in traditional computers and smartphones.

My hopes for Googlebooks are the same as my hopes were for Chromebooks. I want them to be a viable, consumer-friendly third option for laptop buyers outside of Windows and macOS. However, my years as an iPad-primary and iPad-first user have colored my perception of how computer users adopt new platforms.

In short, I don’t think Googlebooks stand a chance of making any kind of real dent.

Not because Googlebooks are bad. For the right kind of user, someone who’s an Android/Google diehard, for example, having a laptop that runs the same operating system as the one on your phone has all sorts of advantages that Google is leaning into. Instant Hotspot lets you quickly tether your Googlebook to your phone. You can seamlessly stream apps from your phone to your laptop. Continue On lets you move tasks between your phone and your laptop.

This is all great stuff. Ultimately it won’t be enough.

It’s “What’s a Computer?” All Over Again

Watching people debate whether or not a Googlebook can replace your laptop feels like watching the iPad debates of the 2010s all over again.

For years in the mid-2010s, the iPad was Apple’s “clearest expression of our view of the future of personal computing,” and from day one there was a lot of resistance to that idea (mostly from longtime Mac users).

There are a number of reasons why this push from Apple didn’t work out back then, but if you look at the iPad today, it’s more capable and flexible than ever. There’s windowing, there’s Pro apps, there’s proper keyboard and mouse support. In fact, if you squint at iPadOS on a 13-inch iPad Pro or Air, it can look a lot like macOS. But these improvements still weren’t enough for the iPad to be taken seriously as a primary computing platform.

Because laptop users can’t or are unwilling to part with their desktop apps.

It doesn’t matter that Googlebook OS has a proper desktop and a file manager. Or that most of the first wave of Googlebooks are launching on premium hardware with lots of horsepower and ports. Laptop users want to run the full-featured desktop versions of the apps people use every day and won’t settle for their Android versions.

When Apple brought the windowing model from macOS to iPadOS, the mouse and keyboard experience became much more natural for people that wanted to use their iPad as a laptop. Despite an initial wave of enthusiasm from reviewers, the narrative came back to the familiar “but it doesn’t run macOS/Mac apps.” I’ve already watched a couple of reviews that have come to a similar conclusion about Googlebooks.

Like the iPad before it, Googlebooks are a new platform, and new platforms mean change. Change in the apps you use, and in the way you get things done, is a hard sell. In 2026, the traditional laptop buyer isn’t looking for change. The desktop computing market is settled in its Windows and Mac rut.

The lack of “proper” desktop apps will cause potential buyers to dismiss Googlebooks as “toys,” completely disregarding their legitimate advantages over traditional PCs, like Gemini integration, seamless connection with your Android phone, and, because it’s Android, less complexity than a Mac or a PC.

I hope I’m wrong, and Googlebooks are a big hit and become a strong third platform challenging macOS and Windows. I think it’s much more likely that they’ll end up a niche platform, and that the future of laptop computing will remain stuck with the operating systems of the past.