Googlebook turns laptops
into AI systems

Acer has displayed its first Googlebook, an AI-first laptops combining Android and ChromeOS technologies around Gemini Intelligence. And it is likely to replace the Chromebook in South Africa in the next three years.

“Over 15 years ago, Google reinvented laptops for the cloud-first world with the Chromebook,” said John Solomon, Google VP and GM of laptops, tablets and Android Enterprise, last week at IFA 2026 in Berlin. The annual event is Europe’s largest consumer technology fair, drawing more than  200,000 attendees every year.a

“Now, with the shift from an operating system (OS) to an intelligent system, it’s time for another fundamental reinvention.”

Google revealed the Googlebook category in May, highlighting closer links between the laptops and Android phones.

“These are the first laptops designed for Gemini Intelligence from the ground up,” said Solomon.

Googlebook debuts a feature called Magic Pointer, which provides Gemini suggestions based on whatever appears beneath the cursor. Pointing at a date in an email could produce an option to create a calendar event, for example, while selecting images could prompt Gemini to combine or compare them.

Another feature allows users to create customised desktop widgets through written prompts. Gemini can draw information from services such as Gmail and Calendar to organise travel plans, reservations and other details in one place.

Built on part of the Android technology stack, Googlebook is designed to maintain continuity between laptops and Android phones.

Users will be able to open supported phone applications on a Googlebook. Quick Access will allow mobile files to be viewed, searched and inserted through the laptop’s file browser without transferring them between devices.

Emmanuel Fromont, Acer president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, told Gadget: “The big difference is that the real OS behind it is Android. Android is no longer just for phones.”

He said Google aims to provide a seamless environment across watches, tablets, phones and PCs.

“You can start a search on your phone and immediately find it on your Googlebook. All the apps that run on your phone will natively run there.”

Googlebooks in South Africa

Acer South Africa country manager Glen du Toit told Gadget during Acer’s 50th anniversary celebration in Johannesburg this week: “It’s the evolution of the Chromebook. I don’t see the Chromebook beyond about 2029 actually having a place as you start seeing the Gemini AI ecosystem or Gemini OS move into the world.”

According to Du Toit, Googlebooks are expected to launch first in the high-end consumer segment during the second half of 2026. He said the commercial rollout would follow later, with enterprise and education expected to adopt the platform around 2027 to 2028. He attributed the slower commercial rollout to Google’s security requirements.

He described it as the “Gemini OS” because, regardless of whether it is branded Android, he expects the operating system to be AI-first and primarily driven by Gemini.

Du Toit said the direction is becoming clearer as the different pieces of Google’s ecosystem come together. Google is expected to reveal more details about the device in the coming weeks.

He pointed to the way the Googlebook could integrate with tablets and smartphones as an indication of where the platform may be heading.

“The Chromebook can’t do that. If you want to bring all of that together, it has to take over and become the new Google format going forward.”

*Jason Bannier is a data analyst at World Wide Worx and deputy editor of Gadget.co.za. Follow him on Bluesky at @jas2bann.