Google extends the life of Chromebooks by ten years

I love Chromebooks. But they’ve always had a big problem. Although they can work for years – I have several that have still been working for more than ten years -, officially, Google and the Chromebook vendors only support them until their Auto Update Expiration date (AUE). Previously, this duration was from three to five years. Then it moved to eight years for models launched in 2020 or later. Today, according to the Wall Street Journal, Google will support all Chromebooks for ten years

Personally, their limited service life has never bothered me. My old Chromebooks worked just fine. But for companies and schools, on the other hand, they had to get rid of their old Chromebooks. And that’s not a good thing.

That is why, in response to the growing concerns of business users, Google is significantly extending the support period. This measure aims to ensure that these devices remain useful for organizations, and prevent them from becoming electronic waste. Doubling the lifespan of Chromebooks from their original end-of-support date could save schools about $1.8 billion.

This ten-year support policy will start in 2024

As part of this new policy, Google will provide security patches and software updates for Chromebooks for a period of up to ten years. This substantial extension will begin next year and will effectively ensure that no existing Chromebooks will expire in the next two years.

However, a Google spokesperson added a caveat: “In making changes to the expiration policy, we must coordinate with each partner that manufactures a component of these devices. This requires a guarantee of safety and performance from the manufacturers”. Other Google sources have indicated that the main Chromebook vendors should collaborate with the company to extend the life of their hardware.

This ten-year support policy will begin in 2024. Specifically, Google will offer support for specific “platforms”. A platform will not be the brand of a manufacturer. Rather, the assistance should concern a specific model. For example, low-end ARM-powered Chromebooks would be one type of model, while high-end Intel i5-powered Chromebooks would be another.

If the support of your Chromebook ends in the next 2
years, you will benefit from 2 to 3 years of support
additional

In the meantime, Google has also announced that it will extend the lifetime of support for all 2021 and newer Chromebooks. In addition, if you have an older Chromebook, pre-2021, you can extend your support once it reaches its AUE. Thus, if the support of your Chromebook ends in the next two years, you will benefit from two to three additional years of support.

Chromebooks seem more interesting than ever for anyone who wants an inexpensive laptop for school, work, or any other activity except games, photography or video. Windows PCs offer the best options for gaming, and Macs are the most suitable for photographers and videographers.

Source: “ZDNet.com “