It's not common for PCs, or any device for that matter, to have a lifespan where it will no longer work once it hits the deadline even if the hardware is still functional. That's the case for Chromebooks and users are not happy about it. As a way to lessen the backlash, Google has extended the years when the laptops are still usable.
Chromebooks Now Last Ten Years
The search giant has announced that instead of the already extended eight years, Chromebooks can now last for ten years of regular automatic updates for devices that were released in 2019 or other models that were released later on.
This means that the laptops released in 2019 that were set to shut down next year will now get an extra two years. Ten years is already quite extensive for a budget PC, especially since macOS only has seven years of updates, according to Ars Technica.
Windows has a similar automatic update period of ten years even for devices that were released in the late 2000s. The key difference is that even without the update, other computers will still work as opposed to Chromebooks which will turn into mere paperweights.
Google says that starting in 2024, owning a Chromebook that was released from 2021 onwards will grant users ten years of updates, while the Google laptops released in 2021 that are already in use will have the option to extend automatic updates to ten years from release.
While the extension is generous enough, iFixit Director of Sustainability Elizabeth Chamberlain says that it's still "fundamentally flawed" to base updates and service timelines on the first manufacture date instead of the last new sale date.
The US Public Interest Research Group, along with repair techs, repair activists, and US school districts, urged Google to extend the support to ten years back in April, but the tech giant said that it won't be so simple to do so.
Google reasoned that automatic update expiration (AUE) dates are not easy to change since the dates "depend on many device-specific, non-Google hardware and software providers that work with Google to provide the highest level of security and stability support."
Apple Might Have an Alternative
Apple is rumored to be working on a cheaper laptop model, which could rival Chromebooks in both quality and the lack of an AUE. Apple computers are usually between $600 to a couple of thousand. Given that the budget laptops are still rumors, there's no price range yet.
The cheaper Apple laptop would likely use cheaper materials in order to lower the price range, which will also go for components. This means that buyers shouldn't expect the same kind of quality they would find in Apple's higher-priced computers.
According to Gizmodo, the laptop might be released in 2024, but since it's still just a rumor, it should be taken with a grain of salt. Chromebooks usually range from $200 to $500. Hopefully, Apple's rumored laptop will be close to those prices.
