Different, and Not in a Good Way

2020: Acer Chromebook

Two years ago we bought an Acer Chromebook 14 to web-surf and email in public places. For $175 it appeared to be a good deal.

I didn't know that it had less than a 3-year effective life span. Chromebook software expires:

Once a Chrome OS device expires, the device might continue to function as expected, a Google spokesman said, but over time “there could be incompatibilities with some websites, applications or management policies with no ability to fix them.”

Earlier devices receive updates from Google for five years. Devices released in 2020 and later will be supported for up to 8½ years, depending on the model.

Why did I get only 2½ years of software updates? Because when I bought it from Amazon in 2020 it had been sitting in inventory since 2018, according to the sticker on the back.

The problem is that many Chromebooks stay on the market for years, so the lifespan can be much shorter when the buyer takes off the plastic wrap.

Rueful comments: 1) there was a reason the Chromebook was cheap; 2) having gotten used to Apple's free updates for the 8-year-old MacBook Air, and Microsoft's support of Windows XP for 12 years, I thought long-term support for tech products was a given.

This is another example of how Google is different, and not in a good way.