Googlebooks just aren’t ready
Googlebook laptops feature high-quality hardware but are currently held back by a buggy and unrefined operating system. Reviewers advise against purchasing these devices until the software experience improves to match the premium hardware build.
Why it matters
It illustrates the common tech industry pitfall where excellent hardware design is undermined by poor software integration, impacting consumer purchasing decisions.
EEvery Googlebook laptop we’ve tested so far has great hardware. The problem is the software. While Googlebook OS has exciting ideas for how a laptop and phone can work together, right now it’s mostly a frustrating experience filled with annoying bugs and lackluster app support. It often feels like using an Android tablet with a keyboard and trackpad grafted on, rather than a cohesive laptop OS. It’s too bad, because those keyboards and trackpads — and pretty much all the laptops’ hardware components — are great.
Frankly, they should be. The cheapest is $900, a price where you start to expect quality processors, metal builds, higher-quality displays, good speakers, and great keyboards and trackpads (even haptic ones in some cases). The Googlebooks have those covered, and they also have very good battery life and at least 16GB of RAM.
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