Google wants to change how you use your laptop. During The Android Show: I/O Edition 2026, the company unveiled Googlebooks, a new category of laptops, built around AI, in particular, Gemini intelligence. Googlebooks will likely go up against Apple’s MacBook Neo, a product that has seen so much success, that Apple is reportedly increasing production.
But what is a Googlebook? And what does this mean for the future of laptops? Let’s delve right in.
According to Google, Googlebook brings together the best of both worlds from Android and ChromeOS. On a Googlebook, users will be able to run Android apps natively, and get new Gemini features, while getting a similar experience to ChromeOS used on Chromebooks.
Keep in mind that Google was rumoured to be working on a new Android-based operating system for some time now.
As per the company, all Googlebooks will come with premium materials, likely akin to the MacBook Neo. An addition to the design is a new signature “glowbar” for all Googlebooks, which you can see below. Google has hinted that this bar will come with some functionality.
Do note that the timing of the announcement was not a coincidence. Google first unveiled Chromebooks on May 11, 2011. And the Googlebook was announced almost exactly 15 years to that day.
There are a lot of new AI features that you can use on a Googlebook. The device is built around Google’s AI assistant Gemini, with new Gemini Intelligence features that will also make it to Android smartphones soon.
A key feature here is a change in how you use the cursor. With Gemini Intelligence, Googlebooks come with a “Magic Pointer” that can bring up AI-powered suggestions when you wiggle it on screen. That is, the cursor can go from a regular cursor to an AI cursor in just a wiggle. This feature, Google says, was developed with the Google DeepMind team.
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