Do Chromebooks have a role?

Desktop PCs, ultrabooks, laptops, netbooks, tablets, and… Chromebooks. What a choice! But, wait… Chromebook? What is it? Is there a role for it in this densely populated technological world?

What is a Chromebook?

The name “Chromebook” was invented by Google, the developer of the Google Chrome Internet browser and the Chrome operating system (OS) which is based on Linux. A Chromebook is a laptop that runs Chrome OS and the Chrome browser. They normally have basic, low-cost hardware specifications. They are designed for use primarily when connected to the Internet. They use applications (apps) that reside on the Internet, instead of traditional apps that reside on the machine itself.  You obtain apps via the Google Chrome Web Store. All data is stored on cloud services accessed through an Internet connection.

What can you use a Chromebook for? 

Normally, a Chromebook has very limited local disk capacity because of using cloud storage.  Chrome OS loads very quickly, so a Chromebook starts up very fast. Chrome OS keeps itself automatically updated with security updates, etc, so the user never needs to be concerned about that.

While Chromebooks are designed to be used when connected to the Internet, users can use Google apps such as Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Drive while offline. Chromebooks come with a built-in local music player and a photo editor that can be used without Internet access. So you can listen to music, write emails, and edit photos offline, ready for when you go online to share or save them.

Why use a Chromebook instead of a normal laptop?

Increasingly, people’s perception of technology revolves around the Internet.  Millions use social networking sites to inter-react with their friends and colleagues, and online email services like Gmail, Yahoo! Mail and Outlook.com are very popular. If you spend most of your computer time on the Web, then the Chromebook might well be for you. When you need to do a bit of word processing, you can use Google Drive to create and edit documents both online and offline. It isn’t as sophisticated as Microsoft Word, but it does do a good job.

Why use a normal laptop instead of a Chromebook?

By definition, a Chromebook does not run Microsoft Windows. It can’t run Windows applications such as MS Office (Word, Outlook, Excel, etc) or others that depend upon Windows. If your computer use demands a Windows application that has no matching one in Chrome, such as an  application for company book-keeping, then you need a normal Windows laptop and not a Chromebook.

You may also be like me and be very concerned about the safety of your documents. With a Chromebook, they are all stored on the cloud in Google Drive. I prefer to have multiple backups on local network drives, as well as using the cloud (in my case I use Dropbox and Google Drive). Can you tell I had a bad experience with data loss?  I doubt you can keep so many backups with a Chromebook.

So, there are many advantages, and some disadvantages, to the Chromebook. In a world where so much time is spent online, demand for low-cost access has meant widespread popularity of low cost devices like the Chromebook. You may well make one your next purchase.