Googlebook Pre-Orders Open Sept. 21 After Magic Pointer Teaser

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. - Google told waitlisted users on Monday that pre-orders for the first Googlebook devices will open Monday, Sept. 21, at 9 a.m. Eastern time, according to an email blast summarized by 9to5Google, shifting the Android-based laptop platform from teaser season into a concrete buy window.

Photo: Google

The note lands after Google had previously pointed to a fall timeframe. Partner machines are expected from Acer, Asus, Dell, HP and Lenovo - the same OEM group that has dominated recent Googlebook leaks and closed media previews. Monday’s teaser highlights Magic Pointer, a gesture that Google says opens immediate access to Gemini, with an animation that resolves into the light bar all Googlebooks are expected to carry as their primary lid branding. Unlike Chromebooks, that light bar is positioned as the cover’s main brand mark; “Googlebooks” appears on the left palm rest below the keyboard. Google has not yet detailed what the light bar will do beyond branding and status cues shown in earlier materials.

Photo: Google

What remains unsettled is the software name and the shipping calendar. The full operating system name is still to be announced; May’s preview remains the clearest public software look so far. 9to5Google notes that the gap between pre-order day and device shipments is unclear, though a launch timed for the holiday shopping season appears likely. Pricing was not included in the waitlist email.

The Sept. 21 pre-order date is distinct from partner-spec leaks - including Lenovo’s Googlebook 15 materials that circulated ahead of Google’s New York media preview - and is the first company-timed path for consumers to place orders once Google and its OEMs put machines on sale.