You probably shoudn\u2019t buy a Googlebook. That\u2019s less of an opinion about the platform itself, but more about the bad timing that this launch has seen, and protecting your own wallet.<\/p>\n
9to5Google Weekender by Ben Schoon is a part of our free newsletter that also includes \u2018Inbox,\u2019 a twice-weekly roundup of key stories from around the web by Daniel Bader. Sign up here<\/a> to get Weekender delivered to your inbox every Sunday along with \u2018Inbox\u2019 on Tuesday and Thursday. You can find past issues here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Googlebook as a platform isn\u2019t magically a competitor to Windows and macOS. Rather, it inhabits nearly the exact same space in the market that Chromebook did. The app gap hasn\u2019t been fixed, nor has Google managed to build a platform that someone can go without the deep ecosystems that the dominant players have built out for decades.<\/p>\n There are any number of reasons I could give you not to buy a Googlebook right now. The price tags. The lack of apps. The simple fact that this is a brand new platform you shouldn\u2019t fork over hundreds of dollars to beta test. But, ultimately, I think the biggest reason you shouldn\u2019t be buying a Googlebook is timing.<\/p>\n RAMageddon is in full swing, thanks in no small part to Google and its AI competitors, and consumers are paying the price for it. Everything has gotten extraordinarily expensive, and it\u2019s not slowing down <\/a>anytime soon. Price hikes will continue, and you\u2019re only going to feel the strain more and more. <\/p>\n With that in mind, why would anyone spend their money on a Googlebook?<\/p>\n That\u2019s really what I\u2019ve been wrestling with the past few weeks in the midst of Google\u2019s big push. Googlebook is asking you to spent $1,000, give or take, on a laptop that\u2019s not fully capable because\u2026 it works with your phone? Truly, I just cannot fathom making that choice when you could pay the same, if not less, for a Windows laptop or a MacBook.<\/p>\n From my HP Googlebook 14 review<\/a> earlier this week:<\/p>\n Especially at a time when the cost of laptops continues to skyrocket, I cannot recommend that anyone invests\u00a0$1,200\u00a0into a Googlebook when you can get a Windows laptop, or even a MacBook, for the same price, if not less. There\u2019s simply no reason to get less functionality for the same price\u2026<\/p>\n Imagine a scenario. You spend $1,000 or more on a Googlebook today because, right now, it fits your needs. You could have bought a MacBook Air<\/a> for just a little more, or a Lenovo laptop<\/a> for a little less. But you reason that, for now, the Googlebook does everything you need it to do. But, six months from now, you pick up a new hobby, change jobs, or have any number of things change that impact what you need from your tech. Suddenly, that Googlebook might not cut it. The problems Googlebook has today are not going to be solved in six months; many, if not all, of the limitations you face today will still exist.<\/p>\n That\u2019s my reasoning for why I won\u2019t buy a Googlebook. What do you think?<\/p>\n This Week\u2019s Top Stories<\/p>\n Fitbit Edge first look<\/p>\n Following its announcement, we\u2019ve got out hands on Google\u2019s new Fitbit Edge tracker. Stay tuned for a review coming soon, but check out our very first impressions:<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Gemini 4 Argon rollout and controversy<\/p>\n Following its announcement at the end of September, Gemini 4 Argon is now broadly available to paid Google One subscribers. And that \u201cpaid\u201d bit is key. As it turns out, Google One\u2019s AI Pro plan splits paid and trial users apart, with the Antigravity development tool blocking access to Gemini 4 Argon for trial users, something Google does not make clear up front. <\/p>\n More Top Stories<\/p>\n From the rest of 9to5<\/p>\n 9to5Mac: iPhone Duo sells out immediately, now backordered until next year<\/a><\/p>\n 9to5Toys: Anker launches new eufy S4 as the \u2018world\u2019s first VR doorbell\u2019 with AI tracking<\/a><\/p>\n Electrek: Are Tesla\u2019s claims for its new \u2018flying\u2019 Roadster real, or is it just full of cold gas?<\/a><\/p>\n Follow Ben:\u00a0Twitter\/X<\/a>,\u00a0Threads<\/a>, Bluesky<\/a>, and\u00a0Instagram<\/a><\/p>\n