Google says some Chromebooks will make the jump to Googlebook OS

When Google finally unveiled its Googlebooks last week, one lingering question we had was what would become of Chromebooks.

A core difference between the new Googlebooks and Google’s Chromebook devices is the operating system. Googlebooks run the awkwardly named Googlebook OS, which itself is a Frankenstein amalgamation of Android with ChromeOS pieces, while Chromebooks run the aforementioned ChromeOS, which is basically the Google Chrome browser layered on top of Linux.

In a media briefing I attended, Google spokespeople would only say that the company would continue to support Chromebooks. But given the overlap between Googlebooks and Chromebooks (and Google’s tendency to axe products), skepticism about the future of Chromebooks seems like a natural response.

Well, a support page from the company provides more details on the future of Chromebooks in a Googlebook world. Spotted by 9to5Google, the support page says Google is committed to supporting ChromeOS devices with updates and security patches “through mid-2034.” Moreover, it notes that for devices that will have a 10-year life cycle extending beyond 2034, the company is “committed to supporting [their] transition to Googlebook OS.”

Now, this isn’t the first time the 2034 timeline has surfaced. It previously appeared in court filings during Google’s search antitrust case, where it noted the “timeline to phase out ChromeOS is 2034.”

So, the good news here is that the demise of ChromeOS and Chromebooks seems to be several years away still. Moreover, some Chromebooks will be able to transition to Googlebook OS to continue receiving support.

However, we don’t yet know which Chromebooks will support Googlebook OS, with Google itself only saying that “many of our newest Chromebook devices will be eligible to transition.”

Another interesting detail from the support page relates to enterprise and education users — popular markets for Chromebooks. In short, Google doesn’t yet have tools to manage Googlebooks at scale like with Chromebooks, but plans to have such a tool ready by 2027.

Given the popularity of Chromebooks for business and education, that tool will be a must-have in order to adopt Googlebooks.

This all generally sounds like good news for Chromebook users. Here’s hoping Google doesn’t somehow mess it up. Of course, there are still other questions floating around about Googlebooks, like “are they any good?” Stay tuned to MobileSyrup for that answer.

Source: Google Support Via: 9to5Google, Ars Technica