The forgotten Chromebook that started it all

In the latest episode of the Version History podcast, The Verge explores the origins of Google's laptop strategy by revisiting the Cr-48. Unlike modern consumer devices, the Cr-48 was not a retail product; it was an experimental prototype designed to test a radical new vision for computing. With a nondescript design and no branding, it served as a portal to Google's cloud-centric philosophy, laying the groundwork for what would eventually become the Chromebook ecosystem. Nilay Patel and his guests discuss how this obscure piece of hardware shifted the industry's perspective on operating systems and browser-based computing. By analyzing the Cr-48, the podcast highlights how Google successfully pivoted from a search giant to a hardware platform provider, fundamentally changing how users interact with their machines. This retrospective offers a deep dive into the early days of ChromeOS and the strategic decisions that defined Google's long-term hardware ambitions.