Chromebooks run an os that is a heavily customized distribution of linux. As the saying goes, linux runs on everything. In other words, why the need to use specialized hardware and different drivers? Also, Google seems to have completely forgot to support GNU software on their devices. Sure, there is Crostini, but again, why the need to run a package manager from a Docker container? That seems like total overkill when GNU software can be compiled natively to work inside the operating system.
There is a project that is working towards this goal already. I made a switch from Windows to Linux 12 years ago — and I never looked back. I have installed Kubuntu the Plasma desktop is fantastic on all my even old laptops and Ubuntu Mate on my desktop.
Since I went through the pain of transitioning from Windows with which I was working since version 2. Now I have safety and conformity like on a Chromebook combined with flexibility like with Windows. Old hardware is very well supported so that I can extend the life-span of hardware significantly. To get proficient with Linux takes a while but the outcome is worth the effort. I can only hope this power button bug will be fixed by On the Chromebook R11 the trackpad was disabled until a reboot if you plugged in and the unplugged a hardware mouse.
That issue remained unfixed for a year and a half after I noticed and reported it the first time. Most of the drivers should be fairly standard.
Drivers are not driving the cost of software in Chromebooks. Listed as new you only get a one month warranty and if the screen goes as it might as in fact they are recycled, a new screen costs more than the actual unit. Modern day theft. This article seems a bit misleading. I quit using Windows years ago at the urging of my son. I moved to Ubuntu Linux replacing Windows.
At first, I had a dual boot system, but I never had to use Windows. So, Windows was gone for good. I set it up to boot both Chrome and Linux, but I found no use for Chrome and removed it.
For three years it has run the Gallium distro of Linux very well. Its performance is amazing easily beating that of the more expensive, more powerful laptop it replaced. Libreoffice is as capable as Microsoft Office for I would really like to know a Windows 10 or Apple laptop that has similar specs to the Lenovo C I bought for my daughter.
I personally feel that the Chromebooks that ARE starting to cost more are worth it for different reasons. For example, I recently bought a Dell Chromebook Inspiron This thing has been an amazing computer that has satisfied practically all of my computing needs with flying colors. There are definite gaps in Chromebook functionality as compared to Windows, but since Android apps have come into the Chromebook fold, this gap has significantly narrowed. Also, the price, at least on this Chromebook that I was referring to earlier, seems to indicate an added emphasis on quality, most specifically build quality.
This device is extremely well made, all metal chassis, and a very clear, crisp, and bright p screen, and a touchscreen, no less. I think this article has some pretty serious inaccuracies or at least misconceptions about the Chromebook market.
Totally fair point, Pete. The experience is better in my observation, provided the Chromebook meets your computing needs. Plastic vs. There the is an add cost to buy a Windows computer compare to a Chrome OS computer, correct? I bought one of the first Chromebooks ever and pounded that thing for years. Used it at home…used it at work… did everything I needed to do.
Most articles comparing chrome book to windows leave out one important demographic, in my humble opinion. This is my main question. My wife was hammering me hard before school started to get him a new laptop. But I may have to get something for January so he can do programming in his room instead of in the lab. From my experience it would have to be a legitimate PC. Great question! My teenage son has both a Chromebook and a Windows 10 laptop. Both perform reasonably well in terms of speed.
However, the Windows machine invariably starts getting bogged down over time. It just keeps getting slower and slower and slower. This never happens with his Chromebook. It performs exactly the same on day one hundred as it did on day one. To get around the issues with his Windows 10 laptop, he would occasionally do a complete reset of the machine, starting over from scratch again. It would work well for a while but would inevitably getting slower and clunkier. Eventually, one day, it never recovered from the reset.
The Chromebook is still ticking away. While a cheapie Windows laptop and a cheapie chromebook may start out at the same price point with the Windows PC maybe getting an edge on storage and RAM, though the low of the low may get the same specs as a chroembook , there are some notable differences.
With the Windows PC, you are hating life and wondering if the place you bought it from will take it back.. With the Chromebook, it is business as usual. All that being said ,in 3 to 4 years time, the Windows box still will have a better resale value, and more than likely still be working correctly. The upside of this is that it is very easy to simply throw your old one away once it 1 reaches the stage where it is no longer updated built in obsolesce, even if it is capable of running the updated build or 2 has a major component breaks down keyboard; track pad; screen; etc.
Simply powerwash the thing if it is still running and sell it of on ebay for pennies. Then get another one and start off where you were. Macbooks still hold he crown for resale value for older machines.
I just shake my head and move one, because people are idiots. I initially bought the Chromebook based on the marketing built in security, 10 hours battery life, speed… having come from Windows with the thought that Windows has none of the listed. Eventually I decided to sell the CB which was still in pristine condition only to find that I was struggling to sell it, I ended up selling it for just over half of what I bought it for not including the seller fees-thanks ebay!
Problem was the lack of demand. I have no regrets. Although ChromeOS is good, Windows has adapted well to meet modern requirements, my view of Windows is more positive than before-all I needed was new hardware. I just typed and the deleted a large post about the idea of legacy and the interesting space we are in when it comes to desktop computing. Anyways, Google is going to fight the perception that ChromeOS is a lesser OS than Windows and is less capable and thusly should be cheaper.
This is a problem Google will need to address to justify the additional cost of Chrome devices at the high end. Microsoft has figured out a way to recapture the developer space by bringing WSL into the fold and coming out with truly excellent coding environments and really great hardware. I would suspect that ChromeOS will still grow in popularity over time.
School districts have gone ChromeOS and it is becoming a more popular platform for college-aged students. Startups embracing Google as their productivity platform helps indoctrinate next-gen users to Google. That would make me jump. Family members have a Toshiba and a Samsung. When I think back to the main reason I was drawn to and stuck with the Chromebook, it was that it starts up immediately.
Literally, to not have to wait for the machine to boot up was my purest experiential joy. Second was portability, facilitated by having a Mobile Hotspot plan on my cell phone. A 2-in-1 is likely my next move but since the ASUS still works, its good to know there is a way to at least get security updates. I realize this is an old article, but I came upon it as I was looking for a new Chromebook. To my surprise, Chromebooks were no longer cheap and many models had ghastly specs.
Do I need another laptop? The reason I wanted a Chromebook was for light browsing and the great battery life and the idea or running Android apps. My first Chromebook experience was not good and it was thanks to Google. After a few weeks of owning and enjoying my CB, my wifi stopped working every 10 minutes. I used another laptop to Google the problem and it looked like Google pushed out a new update that made most CB have wifi problems.
After weeks of research I narrowed it down to a new Google Wifi driver and the only way to fix it was to set a separate subnet for the chromebook with different settings that are not used by anyone.
Sure no problem at home, but the whole point was to take this CB out on the town and I doubt Starbucks will let me change their network settings. I faithfully called Google and they said that a lot of people were having the same issue and they were working on it, but rolling back the update was not an option.
I told them that I solved the issue and gave them detail instructions on how to disassemble the CB and how to take a hammer and smash it to pieces. I later discovered the only solution was to buy a new CB because they basically bricked that model and refused to change the wifi settings back. I have a laptop from that I still use to play older games that will not run properly on Windows I have installed and SSD from eBay into it and it starts up in seconds, maybe not as fast as a CB, but it proves that I can still use it after the support runs out and it still has more options than a CB.
Thanks to the parts not being soldered to the board, I am able to upgrade the RAM with extras I had laying around. I fully support HTML5, but not everyone on the internet does! Trying to spray perfume on the pile of turd CB just makes for a noxious, expensive pile of crap that has less functionality and flexibility of a cheap Windows laptop. I can also avoid installing updates unlike in a CB where Google will force updates until my CB is a brick with no wifi.
I also have the option of doing offline updates with my Windows laptop and specifically picking out the updates I want so I can just get the security updates and skip all the feature updates. You can forget about light gaming on a CB and forget about a touchscreen. I currently have over tabs open on my laptop as I flip back and forth between articles as I do research. I can install Chromium OS and get all of the benefits of a CB without having to worry about forced updates causing any custom apps to malfunction.
So now I have all the benefits of ChromeOS, none of the failings, higher specs hardware, lower price, more flexibility to upgrade. Why would anyone justify paying more for less hardware when the experience is the same? As an IT professional I can attest that with Windows and Android, I have many more tools to lock down a device in the Enterprise environment. Another issue we have is bandwidth usage. Ever since migrating to Office and many of our other software we have notice a considerable slowdown in productivity as everyone waits for every request to the server to respond.
Well, I can imagine having all 20, users trying to use a CB to do their work or check their email over the VPN because nothing can be ran locally on the laptop itself. I often tell parents who consider buying their children a CB or Mac for high school or college to Google how much of the world runs Windows.
Maybe if you worked at Google, you can get away with a Mac or CB. As a matter of fact my brother in Mountain View tells me that a lot of Googlers are carrying Mac and iPhone because everything Google develops is crap, especially the hardware.
I normally tell them to look for the Siri button on their keyboard or the computer and to call back when they find it because basic Windows skills was a requirement for the job. CB users tend to be the worst as they only know how to browse and text, anything beyond that is an IT problem. I think CB would get much higher adoption and can justify the higher price if Google spent less time making expensive commercials and more time developing apps that works offline. Stop trying to bullshit us about how ChromeOS works on even low spec computers because that is not what most consumers want.
No kid begs for the Nintendo Wii because it has less power and worse graphics than the PlayStation or Xbox. What you describe as features some of us find are annoyances. Selling cheap CB to get early adoption was a smart idea, but Google needs to take the next step and convince productivity minded people that an expensive CB can do Office, play games, edit cat videos in 4K and still sync all your Google Doc while still booting up in 5 seconds.
With that said, I may just install Chromium OS on one of my extra 2in1 touchscreens for testing. Overall Chromebooks are great for the average user. These businesses have not been happier.
No more malware or virus slowdowns, or waiting 90 minutes for a Windows update just when they get in to work with an urgent task. And few businesses have a poor or flaky Internet service that some might have to contend with. Even MS Office Online works well. And with Offline mode, Google eSuite works perfectly — and invisibly in the background — for the average user as well.
But I do wonder why Chromebooks are getting to be so expensive….. That does not make sense. Perhaps people refused to buy them because they equated cheap with rubbish so Google decided to jack up the prices?
Same as why uninformed people rush to iPhones simply because they are so much more expensive? I have an iPhone and Android devices — yes, several. Why an iPhone? IMO Chromebooks need to give a lot more value at those higher prices to compete and sell. I am still feeling miffed that my Chromebook Pixel bought 5 years ago and with an 87 processor and 16gb memory will lose updates this year despite the hardware still being perfectly useable.
Some commitment to sustainability! Yes and my previous email I wrote i7 of course — i 7. I have been really happy with this machine and I guess I can wipe it and use it as a WIndows or Linux laptop but I will be very reluctant to buy a premium chromebook again for that sole reason.
And while I am no ecological zealot, it is just plain wrong to build in redundancy like that. Do no evil, remember that? I have been using high end Chromebooks Pixel, Pixelbook as well as Asus Chromebox 3 for many years.
I use my Chromebook heavily including a full suite of development tools Linux , Android apps, as well as numerous web apps. I have never looked back. We are also currently testing Windows for occasional use which means I would have access to all these environments on one single machine … ChromeOS, Windows, Linux and Android.
For me, it works phenomenally. Well written. In some cases you might need to alter your work flow in just the slightest way it may be here that people get stopped as the smallest change freaks a lot of people out.
I agree wholeheartedly. Got a use case that requires regular Windows? Go for it. Chromebooks feel like electric cars of computers.
People are skeptical, but once you can get people into one, they love it. I wrote about my experience here:. I daily work from a pixelbook, developing mobile applications with Flutter, with Android Studio as IDE and a command line for everything else. Because chromebooks are definitely nice, and flexible, machines, which can cover from the casual user web, netflix , to the student automatic online back up, Microsoft docs compatibility , to the elder secure, simple, constantly updated , to the devs like me.
Maksim, I hear you, and definitely the fanless is the real issue here. Which of course makes sense if you think about the normal use of the pixelbook, but it has its limitations for us.
Last but not least, in your chromebook did you turn on hyper-threading? When I started I got a well-review Samsung. Unfortunately, it had a non-standard keyboard that was frustrating for a touch typist.
Between being 79 with stiff, stubby fingers my typing suffers at best. I gave that chromebook to a poor Zapotec student in southern Mexico. Then I got a chromebook with a better keyboard and I used it for a year and a half.
Then I read about the Acer Spin and got one. It was expensive but I like it. What will I do at the end of life? Your email address will not be published. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Skip to content. News Opinion. February 25, February 25, Kevin C.
You May Also Like. Below is a comprehensive guide for anyone who is considering buying a Chromebook. We've put our collective knowledge together to look at pricing, features, and comparisons with other laptops, including MacBooks and top Windows 10 laptops, to see if a Chromebook is best for you.
For the longest time, there was a pretty narrow price range for Chromebooks, and it was on the more affordable end of the spectrum. That is still largely the case; You can pick up the affordable and lightweight Samsung Chromebook 4 — which has an There are more affordable options, as we've detailed here, but the PC laptop market has a much higher cap than the Chromebook market.
But is a Chromebook right for you? Our Chromebook buying guide has the answers to these and other questions. Chromebooks run Chrome OS, Google's operating system, so they heavily feature Google's suite of applications Chrome, Google Docs, Google Sheets, etc and need a working Internet connection to get the most out of them.
Although you can log in to Chrome OS as a guest, we recommend you sign in to the system with a Google account to have the best experience. These machines were primarily optimized for Google apps, such as Gmail , Google Calendar and Google Drive, however, every modern Chromebook now has access to the Play Store. This deep integration can be either positive or negative, depending on how you use a PC. Chromebooks will be easy to set up if you already use those apps. And if you need help using incognito windows, we have a guide for that too.
Android apps are available on all new Chromebooks. This gives Chromebooks access to more games, productivity options and other apps to make these machines more versatile, though the apps seemingly run via an emulator with mixed results. Also, not all apps are optimized for a larger screen they were built for mobile-first , so you might encounter some scaling issues. Check out our guide to the best Chromebook games for specific gaming app recommendations. It may be best to stick with the Office Android apps or Office Online if you're bringing a lot of files over to your Chromebook.
There are often formatting issues when importing third-party documents into Drive. Fortunately, Google Drive allows you to save documents to Microsoft formats, so you'll still be able to share files with non-Chromebook users through Microsoft Word or other programs.
On the other hand, there are a handful of photo editors available for Chrome OS, including Pixlr free and Photopea , which look a lot like Photoshop but without the advanced tools. But those with existing files are out of luck — there is no Chromebook app that can edit Adobe's. PSD files. If you're familiar with Linux's applications, you've got some options. Chromebooks will support Linux programs right out of the box, satisfying demand from some of the more tech-savvy Chromebook owners.
The Pixelbook was the first that will get this option, and others followed. Chromebooks are designed to rely heavily on the Internet, which means that many apps simply won't work if you're out of Wi-Fi range. There are more than offline Chrome apps that can work without Internet connectivity, including Gmail, Pocket and Google Drive, and tons of the Android apps will also work offline.
The Chrome Web Store offers casual titles such as Bejeweled and Cut the Rope, but you won't have the same selection as you would on a Windows machine or a Mac. Fortunately, Chromebooks with Android support get more modern titles such as Fallout Shelter, Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes and Minecraft, so be sure to check out our best Chromebook games roundup for some of the top titles out there.
Chromebooks generally have limited graphics processing power, so you'll want to stick to less demanding titles. While the launcher is currently integrated with Google Now, giving you info cards for the current weather and local news stories, we could see it switching to Google Feed.
Google redesigned the on-screen keyboard for touch-screen use, making it easier to use on 2-in-1s like the Asus Chromebook Flip C With a minimalist design, the on-screen keyboard recognizes your scribbles and gives you choices of text to input. When we tested that feature, it was always accurate in recognizing our writing.
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