Googlebooks from five laptop makers reach shelves October 4 with a year of Google AI Pro on offer
It's Friday, September twenty-fifth. Googlebooks reach store shelves on October fourth, and each one comes with an offer of a free year of Google's paid AI plan. Plus, Anthropic commits about eleven point six billion dollars to Akamai, Nscale raises three point three six billion dollars ahead of going public, and Island raises four hundred million dollars.
Google says every Googlebook includes 12 months of Google AI Pro
A Googlebook is a laptop that runs on Android, Google's phone software. On Tuesday, we told you pre-orders opened on Monday. Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP and Lenovo build the machines. Google's announcement also says every Googlebook includes twelve months of Google AI Pro. Google AI Pro is Google's paid plan for Gemini, Google's AI assistant. The plan gives more use of Gemini, plus five terabytes of storage for Gmail, Drive and Photos.
Googlebooks reach US shelves on Sunday, October 4, and six more countries a day later
Google first showed the Googlebook on May twelfth. Pre-orders opened on September twenty-first, at the Google Store, Best Buy and other retailers. Googlebooks reach shelves in the United States on Sunday, October fourth. Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Germany and Australia follow on October fifth. The AI Pro offer opens on October first, for Googlebooks bought and switched on from that day.
Five makers build the Googlebook, retailers sell it, and Google adds the AI Pro offer
Follow one Googlebook to its buyer. One of five laptop makers designs and builds it. The Google Store, Best Buy or another retailer sells it. Google supplies the software, with Gemini inside. Google says Gemini only acts when you ask it to, and you can switch Gemini off. Google also puts the Google AI Pro offer in the box. The offer covers eligible Googlebooks in seven countries. The buyer has to redeem the offer to get the free year.
Google’s terms charge $19.99 a month after the free year unless the buyer cancels
Google's terms call the free year a trial. To start the trial, the buyer signs up with a way to pay, such as a card. The trial is for new Google AI Pro subscribers only, and the buyer has to redeem it by March thirty-first, twenty twenty-seven. The buyer then gets twelve months of Google AI Pro at no cost. After the trial ends, Google charges nineteen ninety-nine a month, unless the buyer cancels. Twelve months at that price comes to about two hundred and forty dollars. The same terms page covers a free year of Nvidia's GeForce NOW, a service for streaming video games. GeForce NOW needs no credit card, and at the end of the year it drops to its free tier at no charge. The Google AI Pro year ends with the card already on file, and a monthly charge.
Google’s $899 starting price is the Acer; the other four makers start at $999 to $1,299
Google's headline price is eight hundred and ninety-nine dollars. On Google's own shop page, that price belongs to one laptop, the Acer Googlebook 14. The Dell XPS Googlebook starts at nine hundred and ninety-nine dollars. The Lenovo Googlebook 15 starts at a thousand and ninety-nine dollars. The ASUS and HP models start at twelve hundred and ninety-nine dollars each. Google's shop page offers the same year of Google AI Pro across the lineup.
Seven countries get Googlebooks by October 5, and seven get the AI Pro offer, with one swap
Seven countries get Googlebooks on shelves by October fifth. Seven countries are in the AI Pro offer. The two lists differ by one country each. Ireland is on the shelf list, and Ireland is missing from the offer list. New Zealand is in the offer, and Google's post gives New Zealand no shelf date. Google also promises Googlebook updates for up to ten years.
Anthropic has committed to pay Akamai about $11.6 billion for cloud computing
Anthropic makes the Claude AI models. Anthropic has committed to pay Akamai about eleven point six billion dollars. Akamai disclosed the deal in a filing with US regulators on Thursday. Anthropic will run work on Akamai Cloud, the company's computing service. Each plan in the deal runs seven years from its own start date.
Nscale announced a $3.36 billion raise in loans that become shares when it goes public
Nscale rents out computing power for AI. Nscale announced a three point three six billion dollar raise in convertible loan notes. Those are loans that turn into Nscale shares automatically when Nscale goes public. On Tuesday, we covered the filing for that stock market debut. The investment firm Third Point led the round. Nvidia commits one billion dollars of the total, with the money expected in mid-November.
Island raised $400 million in a round that values the company at $6.4 billion
Island started with a web browser built for companies. Island says its tools now let a company see and control what happens across its apps and data. Island raised four hundred million dollars in a Series F, a round of money from outside investors. The round values Island at six point four billion dollars. The investment firm Evolution Equity Partners led it.
The first Googlebook AI Pro trials can end in October 2027
File away October twenty twenty-seven. The offer opens on October first, twenty twenty-six, so the first free years can end in October twenty twenty-seven. A buyer who redeems on the last day, March thirty-first, twenty twenty-seven, reaches month thirteen in spring twenty twenty-eight. Google's posts give no sales figure for the Googlebook and no subscriber count for Google AI Pro. A subscriber count from Google, or a sales figure from one of the five makers, would be the first number on how the offer is doing.
Sources for Friday, September 25
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