Google's new premium laptop line, Googlebook, has begun reaching store shelves outside the United States, with the first models going on sale in Canada, the UK, Ireland, France, Germany and Australia on Monday, according to technology publications tracking the launch. The devices had reached US stores a day earlier, on October 4.
The rollout marks the first real-world test of what Google describes as a new category of laptops, built from the ground up around its Gemini artificial intelligence tools.
Five makers, one AI-first pitch
Reuters reported that Google opened pre-orders for Googlebook on September 21, with starting prices of $899. The launch models come from five PC makers — Acer, Asus, Dell, HP and Lenovo — and run on Intel or Qualcomm processors with up to 14 hours of battery life, the company said.
Googlebook is built on the Android technology stack paired with desktop foundations from ChromeOS, aiming to make switching between an Android phone and a laptop seamless. The lineup includes Gemini tools that can help users draft and organise text, ask questions about content on their screens and resume tasks begun on an Android phone.
It is Google's biggest push into high-end laptops since the Pixelbook line, which ended in 2019 — a flagship showcase for its vision of premium personal computing.
A crowded premium shelf
The launch lands as competition in laptops intensifies. Reuters noted that Apple has moved deeper into lower-priced machines with its $699 MacBook Neo, adding pressure in a market where Chromebook makers have long sold on affordability and simplicity.
Googlebook takes the opposite approach: premium hardware, deeper AI integration and tighter Android ties, with each purchase bundling 12 months of Google AI Pro, according to launch coverage. Google has said Chromebooks will continue as the low-cost option, positioning Googlebook as a distinct, higher-end line rather than a replacement.
Whether buyers embrace an AI-first laptop at $899 and above will become clearer as the first wave of reviews lands in the coming weeks.
Sources: Reuters, Silicon Scotland
The rollout marks the first real-world test of what Google describes as a new category of laptops, built from the ground up around its Gemini artificial intelligence tools.
Five makers, one AI-first pitch
Reuters reported that Google opened pre-orders for Googlebook on September 21, with starting prices of $899. The launch models come from five PC makers — Acer, Asus, Dell, HP and Lenovo — and run on Intel or Qualcomm processors with up to 14 hours of battery life, the company said.
Googlebook is built on the Android technology stack paired with desktop foundations from ChromeOS, aiming to make switching between an Android phone and a laptop seamless. The lineup includes Gemini tools that can help users draft and organise text, ask questions about content on their screens and resume tasks begun on an Android phone.
It is Google's biggest push into high-end laptops since the Pixelbook line, which ended in 2019 — a flagship showcase for its vision of premium personal computing.
A crowded premium shelf
The launch lands as competition in laptops intensifies. Reuters noted that Apple has moved deeper into lower-priced machines with its $699 MacBook Neo, adding pressure in a market where Chromebook makers have long sold on affordability and simplicity.
Googlebook takes the opposite approach: premium hardware, deeper AI integration and tighter Android ties, with each purchase bundling 12 months of Google AI Pro, according to launch coverage. Google has said Chromebooks will continue as the low-cost option, positioning Googlebook as a distinct, higher-end line rather than a replacement.
Whether buyers embrace an AI-first laptop at $899 and above will become clearer as the first wave of reviews lands in the coming weeks.
Sources: Reuters, Silicon Scotland
