Open thread: Do Googlebooks solve a problem you actually have?

It’s been just over a week since Google and its five hardware partners rolled out the Googlebook line — an Android-based platform that offers laptop shoppers a novel alternative to the traditional. Unlike Chrome OS, which powers the company’s older and cheaper Chromebooks, Googlebooks wraps all the great Google goodies — Android apps, Chrome, a full Linux terminal, and Gemini — in premium hardware that you’d more traditionally find on Windows machines. It’s a bold step into the portable computing space by Google, and the pricing suggests its seriousness. Consumers face an $899 premium on the cheapest laptop, rising to $1,299 for the three priciest models.

If you’re not an Android user, a Google fan, a budget shopper, or a Chromebook convert, the Googlebook might be a tough sell. And judging by the responses from our readers and netizens on other platforms, the rollout hasn’t quite made the impact Google may’ve hoped for.

Windows, macOS, or Googlebook OS?

Redditor u/Luxferro writes in an r/GooglePixel thread:

There’s no reason to buy new hardware just because Google wants to sell more things they will abandon. I’d rather buy a windows laptop that only needs replacing when the hardware breaks or it’s to slow to be useful.

u/APigInANixonMask adds:

I just don’t understand who they are supposed to be for. They’re asking $900-$1300 for a laptop that can only run Android apps and web apps. You can get much more functionality out of a similarly priced Windows laptop, and a MacBook Neo is going to be far more capable in terms of processing power and app availability while also being several hundred dollars cheaper.

Then there are comments from our readers, with “e-waste” a common refrain.

“I look at this offering and wonder why? A Mac is a far superior instrument and Android, while great for phones, is maybe suboptimal for anything else,” writes reader coryat on one of our articles.

It’s certainly too early to call Google Books a win or a loss, and to be fair to the fledgling platform, the products do have their fans. But judging by the prevailing sentiment among power users online, Google faces an uphill battle convincing many that $899 is worth spending on a laptop not powered by Windows or macOS.

But what’s your opinion? This is an open thread, so feel free to drop your comments below.

Here are some more questions:

• What do you make of the Googlebook concept as a whole?
• Do you trust Google to keep the Googlebook OS platform alive well into the future?
• Why would you buy a Googlebook over a Windows or macOS machine? What is the biggest selling point for you?
• Are you planning to buy a Googlebook? If so, which one?
• What are some of the features you’d like to see Google add to Googlebook OS in the future?
• If you’re anti-Googlebook, what would you rather see Google spend resources on? A new tablet? Its existing Pixel line? Its smart home offerings? Something else?

👇 If you have a specific comment related to your poll choice or want to answer any of the questions posed above, be sure to have your say in the comments below.