Google Confirms Chromebooks Still Coming Despite Googlebooks Initiative

At a glance:

• Google’s VP John Maletis confirms a "super robust" pipeline of Chromebooks and Chromebook Plus devices through 2024 and into 2025.
• Googlebooks, announced as a premium Android laptop category, is positioned as Google’s long-term strategy, leaving Chromebooks’ future uncertain beyond the near term.
• Google plans to support Chromebooks with up to 10 years of software and security updates, potentially extending support to 2034.

What Google VP Revealed About Chromebooks

Google’s VP of Product Management for ChromeOS, John Maletis, recently confirmed in an interview with Chrome Unboxed that new Chromebooks and Chromebook Plus devices are still actively in development and scheduled to launch well into 2025. This is the clearest indication yet that Google and its hardware partners aren’t abandoning ChromeOS laptops anytime soon. Maletis highlighted the robustness of the Chromebook pipeline, emphasizing that these devices are not just a short-term solution but a planned part of Google’s hardware strategy for the foreseeable future.

Googlebooks: The New Premium Laptop Category

Google announced its brand new Googlebooks platform during The Android Show: I/O Edition, positioning it as a new category of premium laptops built on Android and deeply integrated with Gemini features. Unlike Chromebooks, which are built for affordability and education use cases, Googlebooks are being positioned as premium, AI-first devices designed to compete with high-end laptops. This initiative suggests that Googlebooks may be the long-term strategy for Google’s premium laptop market, potentially shifting focus from licensing ChromeOS to partners to developing its own Android-based laptops.

Chromebook Support and Migration to Googlebooks

Maletis also reiterated Google’s long-term commitment to software support for Chromebooks, noting that the company plans to honor its promise of up to 10 years of software and security updates. This could potentially extend support for Chromebooks to as late as 2034. Additionally, Maletis revealed more details about Google’s plan to let some existing Chromebooks migrate to the new Googlebook experience in the future. Eligible consumer devices will eventually get a path to transition to the operating system powering Googlebooks, while education and enterprise migrations will require a more careful rollout due to management tools, APIs, and policy requirements.

The Future of Chromebooks and Googlebooks

While Maletis confirmed that Chromebooks are still very much alive for now, he didn’t completely reveal Google’s long-term laptop strategy. Product roadmaps for laptops are often planned years in advance, so upcoming Chromebook launches don’t necessarily guarantee ChromeOS has an unlimited future ahead of it. Google could eventually shift its focus from licensing ChromeOS to partners to Android-based Googlebooks. However, for now, hopeful Chromebook buyers can still expect new devices to be on the way. This development highlights the evolving nature of Google’s hardware strategy and the potential for Chromebooks to remain relevant in the near term while Googlebooks represents a long-term direction for the company’s premium laptop market.