As we reach the first official day of fall, 2026, Apple and Google have made their latest product announcements focused on their visions for how artificial intelligence integrates with smartphones and laptop computers. Meanwhile, we wait for Microsoft’s product announcements in October.
Google’s hardware efforts exist for the purposes of solidifying and extending its software ecosystem. The first Android phones provided a safe place for Google Search on mobile should Apple decide or be forced to remove it as the default search engine for iPhones and iPads. Over the years Google’s hardware initiatives have followed Apple, from tablets and speakers/home assistants to laptop computers.
Today Google launched Googlebooks, which are laptops from five hardware companies (Acer, Asus, Dell, HP and Lenovo) running Googlebook OS. Googlebook OS is a desktop version of Android 17, which has been in development under the code name of Aluminum OS for a few years. Unlike the cheap to premium hardware of Chromebooks, there is a minimum and premium level hardware spec for Googlebooks requiring no plastic bodies, OLED touch screens, large track pads, good keyboards, and 16 GB of RAM. Prices range from $899 to $1299 and can be ordered today for shipping in early October.
I think Googlebooks exist for the purpose of providing a consumer laptop computing platform for Gemini, Google’s AI platform, that is replacing Search as the center of the Google ecosystem. No doubt Google expects Googleboook OS to be the best AI-integrated consumer operating system, and will try to contrast it with Apple and Microsoft’s operating systems that have AI bolt-ons. The assumption, of course, is that consumers want an AI-integrated operating system and for it are willing to spend more than $1,000.
While at the time of Google’s founding it probably identified Microsoft as its main competitor, I think today it competes in the consumer space with Apple. The irony is that while Google and Apple have the same categories of hardware products, Apple is a hardware company that uses software to strengthen the case of buying their hardware, while as I state above Google is the exact opposite.
I think Apple being a hardware company explains why, in the opinion of most, it appears to lag the industry in AI development. Apple has always had Siri, which before it was bought by Apple came across to consumers as having many of the features now being promoted as AI. Apple seemed to not be onboard with Siri’s original developers and just added it to their hardware as a “me-too” answer to Google Assistant and Microsoft’s Cortana.
A year ago Apple promised an improved version of Siri with integrated AI to put it on par with Google, but we haven’t seen that version of Siri until now when they have released version 27 of their operating systems for iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
Prior to releasing their new operating system and the enhanced version of Siri, Apple announced new hardware, the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, Apple Watch Ultra 5, and Watch Series 12, Airpods 5, and their new foldable phone, the iPhone Duo. All of these new Apple devices have premium hardware with most costing more than $1,000.
The Duo got most of the attention because it’s Apple’s first foldable, Samsung has lead this space starting with the Galaxy Fold in 2019. As is it’s reputation, Apple took time learning about foldables and developing a version with the intention of providing a better product. From a hardware perspective Apple appears to agree with Google and Samsung on a folded, square, passport-like design that opens to a rectangular or landscape larger screen. When opened the iPhone Duo looks to me like an iPad Mini.
In my opinion the problem is that the iPhone Duo costs $1,899, which while matches the prices of Google and Samsung, keeps the Duo in a smaller group of potential buyers. Of course, Apple has been selling large and expensive iPhones for years, so it has a good idea of the potential market and I am sure crunched the numbers enough to justify launching at this time at this price. The real question I have about the iPhone Duo is whether people who bought foldables made by Samsung and Google will switch to it, and will there be enough competition to finally drive down the prices?
So, the September 2026 announcements from Google and Apple leave us with big questions for both companies. For Google, are the designs of the Googlebook hardware good enough and the integration of Gemini in Googlebook OS compelling enough to lead to significant sales for Googlebooks? For Apple, does Siri now provide enough functionality to rid them of the reputation of lagging with AI and help them sell their expensive hardware?
And finally, what of Microsoft? Microsoft has events scheduled in October but I think for the most part Microsoft has transitioned out of the consumer computing space. It’s telling to me that the five Googlebook hardware companies have historically been the main providers of hardware for Windows, but ever since Microsoft first announced their own Surface laptops the relationship between Microsoft and these companies must be strained.
Satya Nadella has replaced Windows as the center of the Microsoft ecosystem with its cloud computing platform, Azure, and with that has moved it to relying mostly on corporate buyers rather than consumers. You will always be able to buy a laptop running Windows but Microsoft is not going rely on those sales for growing the company. Microsoft will always have a consumer version for their products, but that may be more for people who want to use the same software they use at work.
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