# Googlebook OS Virtual Machine for Apple Silicon

October 11, 2026 at 08:59 PM

> Developer Skylar Taylor-Barrick releases gbos-vm, a project using QEMU and MoltenVK to run Googlebook OS on Apple Silicon Mac hardware.

Developer **Skylar Taylor-Barrick** has launched gbos-vm, a project enabling [Googlebook OS](<https://hardwarebrief.com/entity/googlebook-os-q137958205>) to run on [Apple Silicon](<https://hardwarebrief.com/entity/apple-silicon-q406283>) Macs via a virtual machine. The system utilizes [QEMU](<https://hardwarebrief.com/entity/qemu-q624699>) to boot the OS, starting with a Dell Googlebook recovery image downloaded from Google servers.

The project achieves GPU acceleration by using [MoltenVK](<https://hardwarebrief.com/entity/moltenvk-q55264041>) to translate Vulkan calls to Apple's Metal API. It employs POSIX shared memory for graphics buffers and manages Metal's 16-byte texture padding. The display is currently limited to a 60 FPS refresh rate.

Running gbos-vm requires an Apple Silicon Mac with 16GB RAM and 60GB storage. Users need Xcode tools, Homebrew, JDK, and Android SDK API 34. Note that the VM lacks a hardware secure element, verified boot, and physical Bluetooth device pairing support.


[#AppleSilicon](<https://hardwarebrief.com/hashtag/applesilicon>) #GooglebookOS #Virtualization #QEMU #MoltenVK

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