Rather than ending up in a Windows XP situation where it had to continue to expand support for updates, the support page states that Google intends to upgrade newer Chromebooks to the Googlebook operating system. There are no details on the timeline or which models will be included, but the company notes that in many cases it will be a “direct migration.”
Googlebooks launch at much higher prices than Chromebooks.
Credit: HP
Googlebooks launch at much higher prices than Chromebooks.
Credit: HP
It’s understandable that Google doesn’t want to make this any clearer: Chromebooks may not have won over consumers, but they’re important in schools and businesses. Google Books won’t have comparable management tools for a year or more, according to the support page. If Google is more open to abandoning ChromeOS, its Chromebook business could plunge even before Googlebooks are theoretically able to take over.
In their public statements, Google representatives simply stated that Chromebooks would continue to exist. However, these indications certainly give the impression that the platform’s days are numbered. This can pose problems for organizations such as schools, which have become accustomed to getting high-performance, easy-to-manage PCs at a very low price. As Google has explained several times, Googlebooks are intended to be a premium product.
Perhaps Google’s partners will explore budget Googlebooks eventually, but the initial range starts at $899. It’s impossible to spend that much money on a Chromebook today.
Gn tech
