New Google laptop and smaller Google Home coming, report says

The site said Google’s new laptop will be a “Pixel-branded Chromebook.” Chromebooks run Google’s Chrome OS operating system, which it has tried to market to schools as low-cost alternatives to Windows and Mac devices. Google’s Pixel laptops aren’t usually very affordable, however, and have been marketed toward developers. Since Pixel has become Google’s hardware brand, however, perhaps this will be a more consumer-focused product.

The smaller Google Home speaker may be a play to take on the Amazon Echo Dot, a smaller version of the Amazon Echo that costs just $50. The device is often on sale for as low as $35, and could allow Google to attract folks to its products who might otherwise buy the more affordable Echo Dot.

Google has put a lot of emphasis on its Siri competitor, known as Google Assistant, that’s available on Android phones and on the Google Home. It allows users to stream music, cast movies to a nearby Chromecast-enabled TV, check traffic and more. Sacrifices will likely need to be made in order to keep the cost of a smaller device down. In the Amazon Echo Dot, that meant lower quality speakers.

The devices will reportedly launch at an event Google is planning to host this fall, where it is also expected to launch its new Pixel smartphone.