Chromebook Myths Continue Because Of Articles Like This
As many of you probably do, I’ve set up a Google News alert to send out new articles on Chromebooks and Chrome OS. And in the 3.5 years of writing this site, I am delighted to see that the volume of alerts continues to increase. Everyone from time to time though, I read the last cover and almost wish I hadn’t. This week’s one is from FossBytes, as the Chromebook myths continue because of articles like this.
I’m not trying to call the site or the author here. I appreciate that some effort has gone into the article titled “5 Reasons To Buy A Chromebook (& 3 Reasons You Shouldn’t)”.
There are very valid reasons outlined here, on both sides of the fence. And I firmly believe that articles like this are good: Consumers should buy the computing device that best suits their needs. I realize this device isn’t always a Chromebook, and that’s great!
But the errors and omissions in this particular article don’t offer the best information for people to make the best device buying decision.
Chromebook Myths About Productivity Software
For example, here’s a section of the first reason âwhy should you,â which covers Chromebook usage for students, content consumption, and general browsing:
If you’re a student or professional and all you do is use social media, browse web content, and consume a lot of video content, a Chromebook may be an ideal choice. Likewise, if your day is juggling Excel sheets or other documents, a Chromebook is once again a great choice. However, keep in mind that there is no Microsoft Office suite on Chromebooks. Therefore, you will have to use Google’s cloud-based office suite, which is a great alternative to Microsoft Office.
Does anyone else see the problem?
It’s the end on productivity. It is true that there is no Microsoft Office suite on Chromebooks if you mean specifically a desktop client aspect. And while we have Microsoft Office apps for Android running on Chromebooks, those are gone as well. But the “you’ll need to use Google’s cloud-based office suite” bit just doesn’t.
For example, you can use Microsoft 365, which is the Microsoft Office product online, right in a Chrome browser on a Chromebook. Or you can easily enable Linux in Chrome OS options and install one of the many Office apps like LibreOffice in under five minutes.
My point is, there are options for using Microsoft Office on a Chromebook or you can find similar alternatives. Yes, I suspect most people will turn to Google Docs on a Chromebook. However, you won’t âneed to use Google’s cloud-based office suiteâ.
Chromebook pricing myths
This one is quite common in many articles. Chromebooks are generally considered âinexpensiveâ or âinexpensiveâ. And they can be, but not always. People who think Google said they would be incorrect, as I have already noted.
Chrome OS and Chromebooks are built on three pillars, called “the three S’s”: speed, simplicity, and security. There is no such thing as a âcheapâ pillar. ??
It turns out that the first device lifecycles were relatively inexpensive devices, as Google developed the operating system over time. To do this, the company targeted inexpensive netbook hardware for testing and maturity.
There is now a line of devices starting around $ 200 and going well over $ 1,000, which the article tried to point out but got a bit lost in the translation “cheap”:
I’m pretty sure you saw it coming. Chromebooks are much cheaper than Windows laptops and MacBooks. For example, to buy a good “usable” Windows machine, you’ll need to shell out at least $ 600, while prices for “low-end” Chromebooks start as low as $ 250. Premium and powerful Chromebooks, on the other hand, won’t cost you more than $ 700.
There are certainly Chromebooks that are priced around the “won’t cost you more than $ 700” statement in the article. I can give a quick note on this as these are perhaps the most expensive setups on the market from this author. But I would hate to see people buy a mid-range Chromebook for $ 500 to $ 600 and think it’s as premium as it gets.
Does everyone have to spend that much or buy a really high-end Chromebook with hardware that rivals the best MacBook or Windows devices? Of course not!
People need to know they can, however, and they need to have a clear expectation of what they might pay.
Plus, I’ve paid as little as $ 279 for a Windows laptop in the past. It wasn’t the best experience, but it got the job done for Microsoft-centric app use during some of my early classroom work. It’s a whole different story though.
Chromebook Myths: Windows Support Is Here But It’s Limited
There is a nice article section on being able to run Windows on a Chromebook. And that covers what is probably the easiest method: using Parallels Desktop to install Windows, which I did.
So it’s good for people to understand that if they need to run a Windows app using a Chromebook, there are options.
Yes! You heard that right. You can run Windows on Chromebook using a virtual machine application called Parallels. We have already covered Parallels in our ‘How to install Windows 11 on MacBooks M1‘article. One of the unique features of Parallels is that you can directly drag and drop files from Chrome OS to Windows VM and vice versa, which is pretty good.
There are other options, but I won’t discuss them here. My biggest concern is that there is no mention of the limitation for purchasing and using Parallels Desktop for Chrome OS.
It is a business product and requires your Chromebook to be managed by a business. As much as I’d like to see, most consumers aren’t able to use Parallels Desktop for Chrome OS today. Hopefully that changes in the future, but it helps to know that at the moment this is a current limitation.
Chromebook Myths About Gaming
I’ll be the first to admit that if gaming is your primary goal when buying a computer, a Chromebook shouldn’t be at the top of your list.
And the main reason is highlighted in the article:
As stated earlier, running Windows games on Chrome OS is not possible. Therefore, if you want a machine that can play, we suggest you stick with Windows, at least for now. Additionally, some Android games like Call of Duty and PUBG do not work on Chrome OS. Therefore, you might want to check out what’s working and then decide if you should buy a Chromebook.
It’s also true that if you have an entry-level device, some complex Android games are unlikely to perform well, if at all.
But do you know what you can do on a Chromebook, even the cheapest models? Play streaming PC games. It works well on any supported Chromebook, as the games run on powerful cloud servers, and you’re basically using the Chromebook to interact with this game stream in near real time.
I described these experiences with Google Stadia once it launched, as well as playing my Steam titles for PC through Nvidia’s GeForce Now service on Chromebooks. I have a gaming PC that I built specifically for gaming, with an Nvidia RTX 3080. And I love it for gaming. But I don’t like having to sit in my upstairs office to play these games. So I often get down on the couch or a comfortable recliner and play the same games on one of the game streaming services on my Chromebook.
And if it is true that the games are not really Course on a Chromebook, you are playing on a Chromebook with one of these or similar services. We can argue about the semantics, but basically saying you can’t play Chromebooks just isn’t true.
Chromebook Myths About Software Support
This section of the article has perhaps disappointed me the most as it contains both errors and omissions.
Here’s what has been written about Google’s support for Chromebook software:
Windows PCs and laptops can all be upgraded to the latest version of Windows 11 using official or unofficial installation methods, but that’s not the case with Chromebooks. They get about six and a half years of major updates.
There has been a ton of news lately about how Microsoft is handling the Windows 11 update for new and existing machines. Technically, there are very specific “official” requirements, which have upset a lot of people.
And rightly so. Unofficially, you might be able to run the update even on unsupported machines that are only a few years old.
But even if you can, Microsoft has said it reserves the right to decline updates to your machine in this case. It is not very clear and it is not good either.
Google is at least offering some clarification on software updates for Chrome OS, although it has made changes to its upgrade policy over time.
Originally there was no policy. Then it was five years. That eventually became 6.5 years and in January 2020 Google said all new Chromebooks would get 8 years of software support.
So the information in the article has been outdated for almost two years and sells software support for less than a year and a half. Additionally, all currently supported Chromebooks show their actual software support expiration date.
Demystifying the Chromebook
Again, I hate to highlight an article. And I don’t think a Chromebook is the best device for everyone. I also don’t believe my own writing is foolproof on these topics; I have also inadvertently made my share of mistakes over the years.
I do think, however, that after a decade of Chromebooks, it’s time for people to better understand the pros and cons of Chromebooks.