The Chromebook Odyssey is our 25-part history of ChromeOS and the Chromebook, from Google’s 2009 announcement of a browser-only operating system to the Googlebook era. Each episode covers one year or one theme, and explains why it still matters if you own a Chromebook today.
Read it in order, or jump to the period you care about.
The beginnings (2009-2013)
- #1: 2009: Google Announces Chrome OS, and the Browser Becomes the Computer In July 2009, Google announced an operating system that was nothing but a browser. How Chrome OS was born, why people laughed, and why it worked.
- #2: 2010: The Cr-48, Google’s Unbranded Test Laptop Before the first Chromebook went on sale, Google mailed 60,000 unbranded black laptops to testers for free. The Cr-48 pilot program shaped everything that followed.
- #3: 2011: The First Chromebooks Hit the Shelves On June 15, 2011, the Samsung Series 5 and Acer AC700 became the first Chromebooks you could actually buy. The reviews were rough, but the model was set.
- #4: 2012: The $249 Turning Point In late 2012, a fanless $249 Samsung Chromebook became Amazon’s best-selling laptop, and Chrome OS grew a real desktop. The year the platform found itself.
- #5: 2013: Chromebook Pixel, the $1,299 Contradiction In February 2013, Google shipped a $1,299 Chromebook with a remarkable high-resolution display. Critics called it absurd; many of its ideas spread to later laptops.
Growth and the classroom (2013-2018)
- #6: 2013-2014: How Chromebooks Conquered the Classroom While reviewers debated specs, Chromebooks quietly took over American schools. How a browser-only laptop won education.
- #7: 2014-2015: The Flood: Bay Trail, $149 Laptops, and a Computer on a Stick In 2014-2015, every PC maker piled into Chromebooks: fanless Intel chips, $149 price tags, the Chromebit HDMI stick and the first Flip convertible.
- #8: 2016: The Play Store Lands, and Everything Changes At Google I/O 2016, the browser-only Chromebook ended: the Android Play Store was coming to ChromeOS. What it broke and what it fixed.
- #9: 2017: Pixelbook, Google’s Premium Reboot Four years after the Chromebook Pixel, Google tried premium again, this time with an app ecosystem behind it.
- #10: 2018: Crostini Brings Linux to ChromeOS (and the Tablet Detour) In 2018, ChromeOS gained Linux apps through Crostini, turning Chromebooks into developer machines, while the Pixel Slate struggled as a tablet.
Expiration dates, a pandemic and a promise (2019-2023)
- #11: 2019: AUE Anxiety and the Pixelbook Go In 2019, Chromebook owners discovered their laptops had expiration dates. The AUE controversy changed how Chromebooks are bought.
- #12: 2020: The Pandemic Boom In 2020, remote learning turned the Chromebook into emergency infrastructure, and shelves emptied.
- #13: 2021: Ten Years Old, Peak Sales, and the Hangover Chromebooks turned ten in 2021 with record shipments and anniversary features, then pandemic demand fell away.
- #14: 2022: The Rebrand, ChromeOS Flex, and the Gaming Dream In 2022, Chrome OS became ChromeOS, old PCs got a second life with Flex, and Steam arrived in beta.
- #15: 2023: Chromebook Plus and the 10-Year Promise In 2023, Google introduced Chromebook Plus, a guaranteed spec floor, and extended updates to ten years.
The big themes
- #16: The “Chromebook Churn” Fight: Repairability and E-Waste In 2023, a report called “Chromebook Churn” accused the platform of building disposable laptops, and the debate on repairability that followed.
- #17: 2024: The Gemini Era Begins In 2024, AI became the ChromeOS strategy: Gemini, Help me write, and a new Quick Insert key.
- #18: The Silicon Story: Every Chip That Powered Chromebooks From the Cr-48’s Atom to today’s lineups, the Chromebook’s chip history explains the platform.
- #19: The Education Empire: How ChromeOS Defends the Classroom Winning the classroom was the easy part; holding it against Microsoft, iPads and aging fleets is the long campaign.
- #20: ChromeOS at Work: Kiosks, CloudReady, and Managed Fleets Beyond schools, ChromeOS built a quiet business role: kiosks, digital signs, call centers, and the CloudReady deal that became Flex.
The transition to Googlebook (2025-2028)
- #21: 2025: The Big Announcement: Android and ChromeOS Will Merge In 2025, the question asked since 2009, why Google has two operating systems, got its answer.
- #22: January 2026: Gemini in Chrome, and the End of the Steam Dream ChromeOS 144 brought Gemini into Chrome for Chromebook Plus, the same month the Steam beta ended.
- #23: May 2026: Googlebook Unveiled, Aluminium OS Goes Public In May 2026, Google introduced the Googlebook and the operating system behind it.
- #24: Chromebook vs Googlebook: What Happens to Your Device Now Is your Chromebook obsolete? What the transition means for current owners and anyone buying now.
- #25: The Road to 2028: What Comes Next The finale: Chrome release cadence, the Googlebook’s first year, and what the history suggests about what comes next.
For current ChromeOS releases and Chromebook announcements, see our News section.