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Ask Arthur

Ask Arthur:  What’s the point of a Chromebook?

A reader asks whether laptops running on Google’s ChromeOS are a case of “cheap and nasty”. ARTHUR GOLDSTUCK has a few answers.

Q: What is the point of a Chromebook? Is it cheaper because it’s nastier?

A: They’re cheap, they’re fast, they’re secure, they’re easy to use. What more could you want in a laptop? Seriously, though, their low cost and low specs do lead some to think they are “cheap and nasty”. The truth is that they are low-specced because they run on the streamlined, lightweight Chrome OS developed by Google for speed, security and efficiency. That means they don’t need large hard drives for storage, or powerful processors for running numerous applications.

According to Google Bard, the AI chatbot made by the same people who made Chrome OS, these are the advantages:

Security: Chromebooks are very secure devices. Chrome OS is sandboxed, which means that each app and web page runs in its own isolated environment. This makes it difficult for malware to spread and damage your device.
Speed: Chromebooks boot up quickly and apps open quickly. This is because Chrome OS is very lightweight and doesn’t require a lot of resources.
Battery life: Chromebooks have excellent battery life. Most Chromebooks can last for 10-12 hours on a single charge.
Ease of use: Chromebooks are very easy to use. They are designed for people who are comfortable using a web browser, and they come with a variety of productivity apps pre-installed.
Portability: Chromebooks are typically very light and portable. They are a good choice for students, business travelers, and anyone else who needs a laptop that they can easily carry around with them.

Aside from these benefits, Chromebooks are compatible with a wide range of web apps and Android apps, and are integrated with Google services like Google Drive and Google Docs. They are easy to set up and use and tend to be low-maintenance.

The advantages go further if one has specific uses, such as students, since Chromebooks are compatible with Google Classroom and other educational apps. For business users, they are secure and easy to manage. 

And they are easy to carry around.

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