How much can customers be expected to pay for an unproven wearable platform in these uncertain times? That question seems to be on laptop makers’ minds for the upcoming Googlebook launch, as it appears we’re only now determining exact pricing for each Googlebook OS laptop, just a week after launch. Last Monday, we reported on all the new Googlebook models, one of which comes from all the expected OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) you see in laptops today. There’s a Googlebook from Dell, HP, Lenovo, Acer and Asus filling store shelves on October 4. According to Google at the time, the price breakdown was as follows: Dell Dell told Gizmodo that the XPS Googlebook was actually $999 at Best Buy. The Google Store initially listed the laptop for $1,199, although mid-week Google also changed its XPS price to under $1,000. Similarly, Google suggested you’d have to spend $1,300 on the Lenovo Googlebook 15. Lenovo then usurped Google and said its laptop would cost $1,099 through Best Buy. It costs $1,050 on Lenovo’s own site and Google’s online store. The Dell XPS Googlebook costs $999, although Google originally said it would require $1,200. © Adriano Contreras / Gizmodo Additionally, it appears that the HP Googlebook 14, which Google originally said was just under $1,300, is now $100 cheaper. Here’s a breakdown of what each laptop costs, at least based on their current store page or the most recent announcement: Gizmodo has reached out to Google and the various OEMs for comment, and we’ll update this post once we hear back. It is still unclear why the prices of Googlebooks from Asus and Acer remained fixed, while others saw this trend towards a cheaper price. However, Acer also told us that its first Googlebook OS laptop will only stay at $900 for a short period before it moves up to something closer to the other brands. Unfortunately, I won’t have one available until launch week. It will be some time before I can offer my full opinion on what to expect from Google’s nascent Android-based laptop platform. The difference between release and review times doesn’t mean something nefarious is happening. Plus, it may say more about how rushed the Googlebook launch is. Furthermore, it will be difficult for anyone to find these laptops by simply searching on Google. The Verge first noticed how a search for “Googlebooks” brings up Google Books, the company’s full-textbook and magazine search feature. The launch of Googlebooks will be difficult. Laptop prices are still out of control, driven by the current RAM crisis. If you really don’t want to buy a brand new $1,000+ Googlebook, you can get away with just upgrading from an older Chromebook. On its support page, Google said that some Chromebook models can be upgraded to the Googlebook OS. However, you’ll have to wait to find out which devices will be eligible to update.
