Google's Premium Googlebook Push Tests Classroom Chromebook Loyalty

Chromebooks have become fixtures in US classrooms and beyond, handling homework, essays and assignments. Many of those students are now choosing laptops for themselves, and Google’s recent Googlebook launch is aimed at keeping them in its ecosystem. Googlebooks such as the Acer Googlebook 14 are premium laptops running a new Android-based operating system, with deep smartphone integration and Google’s Gemini AI. After years of using Chromebooks and ChromeOS, students may be tempted to stay with Google as their computing needs change, but TechRadar reported that familiarity may not be enough.

Google launched its Chromebook project in 2011. It initially pitched the devices as general-purpose laptops, but its success came mainly in education, where inexpensive hardware, straightforward device management and Google’s classroom tools won out over Windows. Michael Boreham, principal analyst at Futuresource, told TechRadar that Chromebooks accounted for just 16% of US K–12 mobile PC sales in 2013 and rose to 50% by the end of 2015. Since 2020, Chromebooks have accounted for between 61% and 67% of annual US K–12 mobile PC shipments. Millions of students have spent their formative years using Google’s operating system and apps, while services such as Google Docs and Drive are also available on Windows and macOS.

Those laptops were generally chosen by schools rather than by students. Boreham said that as students move from school-issued devices to choosing their own laptops, their preferences typically shift away from institution-provided products and toward devices that fit personal needs and lifestyles. Carolina Milanesi, president and principal analyst at The Heart of Tech, drew a distinction between familiarity with Google’s software and a desire to buy its hardware. She said a decade of Chromebooks built familiarity with Google tools such as Docs, Drive, Classroom and Gmail, but those tools run in a browser on any laptop, so that familiarity travels with the student, including to a Mac. For most students, Milanesi said, the Chromebook was a device the school assigned, often low-cost and locked down, and the association is with schoolwork more than with a laptop they chose.

Futuresource’s Student Journey research, which surveyed students in the US and UK, found that durability, value for money, storage and battery life were among the main factors influencing purchases. Boreham said the lure of Apple is strong for university students because of Apple’s position as a lifestyle brand and the integration between iPhone, iPads and MacBooks. When choosing a brand, students also considered compatibility with their existing devices, brand reputation and previous experience. Most university students surveyed reported paying for their devices themselves or using university loans and grants, making value for money especially important.

That presents a pricing challenge for Googlebooks. The laptops start at £999 in the UK, compared with £599 for the MacBook Neo, or £499 with Apple’s education discount. Many of the best student laptops are also considerably more affordable. TechRadar reported that the machines are different, but a price gap of up to £500 is hard to ignore when value for money matters so much. Milanesi said it will be difficult to sell: younger buyers have a $499 to $599 MacBook on one side and Windows laptops at every price point on the other, and a new platform asking for a premium carries more risk for the buyer.

Software is another hurdle. University students may need specialist applications that school Chromebooks never had to handle. Boreham said that if Googlebooks can replicate or better the performance of a MacBook or Windows notebook and have access to key applications such as Adobe’s photo editing suite, they may capture a share of the student user base as students move beyond high school. Milanesi said Google’s large user base will only get it so far and that Googlebook has to turn comfort into a purchase.