// 9TO5GOOGLE — MOBILE & WEB
The Googlebook has an opportunity to build Android like nothing else [Video]
![The Googlebook has an opportunity to build Android like nothing else [Video]](https://9to5google.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/09/Googlebook-logo.jpg?quality=82&strip=all&w=1600)
Despite having effectively zero market share right now, there is an opportunity for Googlebook to do something that basically nobody else could do, but can they do it?
I’ll state right up top that I’m already cautiously optimistic. We need a competitor player to Mac and, in particular, Windows. Microsoft, as of late, has been nothing but combative with the people who use the firm’s operating system every single day. A new player is needed. I’m still not fully convinced yet by Googlebooks, but there is an opportunity, a big opportunity that hinges on quite a few things falling into place.
Considering how many new products are released every year, it’s quite surprising how few operating systems are unveiled. I suppose there is a caveat that Android has existed for a long time, but there have been no true attempts to make it work as a “proper desktop” experience, save Samsung’s DeX system, which was an internal attempt to make it work with Galaxy phones and tablets.
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DeX is a fine take on things, but it is limited by virtue of being an experience trying to emulate a desktop experience. Googlebook OS is Android reimagined for the desktop era.
I’m still not sure if this is too late or if there is enough interest. Google’s move comes at a very interesting time. Maybe its impending launch was the reason that Chrome OS has languished in recent years, having had lots of early promise and a surging user base, particularly in the education sector.
I have had the benefit of trying out Googlebooks, but in the lead-up to launch, I’ve been thinking more broadly about why now, and whether there is any real, tangible reason that Google would fully adopt Android across phones, tablets, and, now, desktops/laptops.
Bear with me, though, as a lot of assumptions have to be made for my points to fully hit home. I know that isn’t ideal, but just indulge me in this thought exercise at the very least.
We’ve just seen a slew of expensive hardware unveiled under the Googlebook branding. These are the “optimum” hardware experiences, and I do think many are overpriced. That’s not where I see the benefits.
Compared to previous Chrome OS versions, Android devices are better optimized for low-power, low-resource use. A bad Chromebook is almost always worse than a bad Android device, at least in my experience. It’s harder to hide bad performance on a laptop or desktop because you’re used to certain power thresholds. On a tablet or phone, that isn’t as pronounced because things are almost always more lightweight.