PodcastsGadgetsTechThe forgotten Chromebook that started it allOn Version History: Marques Brownlee and Nilay Patel relive the release of the Cr-48, Google’s prototype laptop.On Version History: Marques Brownlee and Nilay Patel relive the release of the Cr-48, Google’s prototype laptop.by Victoria BarriosOct 4, 2026, 12:00 PM UTCShareGiftVictoria Barrios is a Supervising Producer focused on the editorial operations of our video and audio teams. She has decade of experience in video journalism and science communication.Google didn’t even call the first Chromebook a “Chromebook.” The Cr-48 had no interesting design and no bright logos – it wasn’t even designed to be a product you could buy. Instead, it was a portal to a big new idea about computers.In this week’s episode of Version History, The Verge’s Nilay Patel and MKBHD’s Marques Brownlee join David Pierce to help explain the history of ChromeOS and Chromebooks, and discuss whether Google’s approach to computer hardware was the right one.This has been an exciting season of Version History, as we’ve been exploring the most iconic school tech. Last week’s episode explored Nicholas Negroponte’s One Laptop Per Child XO-1 and his goals for a global distribution.
We’ve also talked to the lead game designer of The Oregon Trail and learned why everyone had to own a TI graphing calculator. If you missed these episodes, check out them out below:The Version History podcast feedThe Version History YouTube channelOur TikTok and Instagram accountsIf you’re a Verge subscriber, you can also get access to Version History (and all our other podcasts) with no ads. All you have to do is visit your account settings.Version History has been nominated for a Signal Award! You can vote to help us win here.If you want to know more about Cr-48 history, here are some links to get you started:From The New York Times: “Chromebook From Samsung Has Its Head in the Cloud”From PCMag: “The Google Chrome OS CR-48 Notebook: Hands-On”From Ars Technica: “Nothing but ’Net: hands-on with the Cr-48 Chrome OS laptop”Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Victoria BarriosGadgetsLaptopsPodcastsTechVersion HistoryMost PopularKeurig’s new machine uses plastic-free compressed coffee pucks3D movies are finally worth watchingHP’s answer to the MacBook Neo is thinner, lighter, and comes with OLEDAn OpenAI safety employee has quit and is sounding the alarmThe People of Utah vs.
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