Google recently launched Googlebook, its new Android-based laptop platform, and even though the machines are available for purchase at retail stores, some users still can’t get their hands on them.Many users don’t want to spend serious money just to feel the new Googlebook Operating System.Developer Skylar Taylor-Barrick has filled this gap and shared it on Reddit(via), where the redditor managed to run the Googlebook OS inside a virtual machine on an Apple Silicon Mac, complete with hardware acceleration and a working Chrome.
The project is named 'gbos-vm'.What’s under the hood? This Is How the Mac Runs Googlebook OS The project uses a Dell XPS Googlebook recovery image, the installation script downloads the file automatically from Google’s servers.The script then modifies parts of the image file that are designed specifically for Googlebook’s hardware, so they can work with Mac’s virtual hardware before launching it through QEMU.
To provide GPU acceleration and bypass the delayed response of the OS inside a virtual machine, 'gbos-vm' bridges Vulkan (the modern graphics standard Android and Googlebook OS use) straight into Metal, Apple’s native graphics engine.This means the Googlebook OS running on the virtual machine now uses Apple’s GPU rather than rendering everything through the CPU.Close The requirements Your Apple Silicon Mac should be equipped with at least 16GB of RAM, around 60GB of free storage, and several developer tools, including Apple's Xcode Command Line Tools and Android development components.
What are the limitations? Rough edges remain The project is still very much an experiment.First, Bluetooth currently crashes on boot, and display frame rates are capped at 60fps.A TPM-related process repeatedly crashes in the background.
Some other features, including audio, clipboard support, and longer sessions, haven't received extensive testing either.There are security considerations, too.Since the virtual machine lacks Googlebook hardware, the vendor partition was rebuilt using virtual components from Google’s Cuttlefish project.
Hence, the encryption key uses software instead of a hardware secure element, since the VM has none.Skylar therefore recommends treating this as a development and experimentation environment, rather than a daily driver.Still, 'gbos-vm' offers an interesting way to gain the chance of experiencing Googlebook OS without buying one on an Apple Silicon Mac.
This is a good chance, as Raspberry Pi Desktop OS is still in beta for Apple Silicon Macs.
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