Google will offer Chromebook support for 10 years

Google renewed its commitment to support as long as possible its Chromebooks. Mountain View announced today that will extend automatic software updates on your laptops with ChromeOS, that from 2024 it will be 10 years.

At first glance, the change may not seem too noticeable. After all, Chromebooks currently get 8 years of software support. However, Californians have taken additional steps to make their computers more durable.

It is worth noting that software updates are available for 10 years. They will be for Chromebooks released in 2021 and later.and will begin next year. What will happen to devices that hit the market in 2020 or earlier? According to Google, once they receive the latest regular automatic update, users or IT admins will be able to extend the validity period up to 10 years from the launch of their platform.

This means that, for example, a Chromebook that was released in 2019 and initially received support until 2027, after that date they will be able to extend it for another two years. This applies equally to any other device under similar conditions of use.

Another interesting element of Google’s ad is that launched a simple repair program. It was specifically designed for schools that provide Chromebooks to their students and teachers.

Google reaffirms its commitment to extend the life of Chromebooks

These measures address a very important problem that occurs primarily in the United States. Last August Wall Street Magazine published an interesting report on how these devices have gone from being a great option for teachers and students, especially during the pandemic, to being e-waste. And all because expiration dates set by Google to support their ChromeOS laptops, even if the hardware is still running.

So it’s no surprise that the Californians emphasized that they have deepened their commitment with their major partners to produce more Chromebooks using recycled materials. An initiative that already includes manufacturers such as HP, Lenovo, Dell, Acer and Asus.

Finally, Google plans to introduce new ChromeOS power management features to extend Chromebook battery life. One of them is adaptive loading, a feature that allows you to avoid charging devices to 100% when not necessary. According to Mountain View, this tool keeps the battery level at 80% to reduce degradation.

Although the operation of this option was not explained in detail, Google indicates that the battery will only be fully charged when the computer detects moments when it would normally lose power. It makes sense that the software uses AI to determine schedules and usage patterns that can detect such behavior and adapt it as needed.

Chromebooks too will get a power saving mode which will work similar to Android. It activates automatically when it detects that there is only 20% charge left. It’s worth clarifying that both adaptive charging and battery saving can be disabled in the device’s power management settings.