‘New Laptops’—Google Offers Another PC Upgrade For Windows Users

InnovationCybersecurity‘New Laptops’—Google Offers Another PC Upgrade For Windows UsersByZak Doffman,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Zak Doffman writes about cybersecurity, surveillance and privacy.Follow AuthorMay 13, 2026, 09:28am EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.Windows PC owners now have 2 options from Google.Getty ImagesGoogle responded to Microsoft’s premature killing of Windows 10 with an offer to “install our fast, secure and free operating system to modernize" their devices. This is aimed at PC owners “with a difficult decision: spend hundreds on a new device, or continue using an insecure, outdated one.”Last month, Google made the upgrade even simpler. A $3 USB stick turning a complex process into a plug-and-play. The offer was a hit — the USB sticks were quickly out of stock on Back Market’s website, and haven’t been back since. The software is still available, the USB stick is not.Windows PC owners now have 2 options from Google.Getty ImagesNow Google has another upgrade offer to change the PC landscape. “Over 15 years ago, we introduced the Chromebook, a laptop built for a cloud-first world. Now, as we are moving from an operating system to an intelligence system, we see an opportunity to rethink laptops again.”These “new laptops,” Google says, “are built with Gemini’s helpfulness at their core, premium hardware and work seamlessly with Android phones.” Chromebook was all about the internet, Googlebook is all about AI. This offer isn’t free, but it does more than delay obsolescence.MORE FOR YOUWhile the Googlebook won’t pull in many Windows 11 users, it does provide a cheaper and simpler alternative to new PCs for owners of old Windows 10 PCs, especially if they’re doing little more than basic emailing and web browsing. In which case, an AI upgrade could well appeal.Googlebooks are likely to be more expensive th...