Google waited until the day its new Googlebook laptops went on sale to admit that Intel-based models may have trouble running some Android apps. The company had previously emphasized that the devices offer access to the entire Play Store library, but now says that while every app is available, performance is not guaranteed on every model.
The vast majority of Android apps run smoothly on both Intel and Qualcomm Googlebooks, according to Google. However, because many Android apps were originally designed for Arm chips, a small handful of complex apps or games need developer tuning to run their best on Intel-based platforms. Google did not specify how many apps are affected or name any specific titles.
Of the five Googlebook laptops released today, three—from Acer, Asus, and Lenovo—run on Intel x86 chips. The Dell and HP models use Qualcomm's Arm-based Snapdragon processors, which should offer greater compatibility with Android apps. The Verge says it will test all five models and report on specific issues found.