The Pros and Cons of Using a Chromebook

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So, my computer habits keep on changing! From Summer 2018 to Christmas 2019, I used an Asus Chromebook C223. I'm not completely sure about that, but I went to the now-hidden Shop section of the Chromebook website, chose Laptop as the device type and Asus as the brand, and that one looked the most like the one I have. Here is the exact model! Then, for Christmas 2019, I got the Acer Chromebook R11. The first blog post made with it was "Bloxels is really Fun!", and the last is "Back to School, Virtually". This is most likely the shortest-used computer that I have owned! Nowadays, the computer belongs to Philip, my brother. He never uses it, however. He mostly uses his iPad for everything. But, back to the Acer Chromebook R11. I used it until October 2020 when I got the Acer Spin 3, and then I used that until November 3, 2021 when I got the Pixelbook Go that I am typing this on right now! So, now we get to the name of this blog post. "The Pros and Cons of Using a Chromebook". So, what are the pros? First, battery life. Chromebooks have actually usable battery life. It can get you 6 hours, while the Spin 3 had the worst battery life of any computer I have used. You wake up at 6 AM, turn on your laptop, use it, then 3 hours later, you are already on a charger. Not that great for a power outage. Or a trip. Next, charger ports. The Spin 3 uses a proprietary AC charger port that I remember for being extremely finicky. Any USB-C charger goes in 2 ways, well the Spin 3's AC port had 360 ° movement. And most of the time, I was using my Spin 3 on the couch we had before the couch I am sitting on right now, with the charger port plugged in! Sounds OK, and it looks OK, because there is a wall outlet next to me, but the problems start when you wiggle the laptop. The charger cord starts wiggling around, and with USB-C, it works as there is no movement, but with the Spin 3's weird charger cord, it prevents the laptop from charging! Next, hotness and noise. The Spin 3 had a fan that made some noise, and it was still hot! Chromebooks do get hot, but not very hot. And the Pixelbook Go is a special case, as it doesn't even have a fan! The Pixelbook Go is unbelievably cold. Now let's get to the cons. The main problem is software. Chromebooks don't even have Office! You have to use Office Online! Also, Chromebooks are restricted. There are few Chromebook-specific apps, and the ones that exist are made by Google. All other apps are web apps and Android apps. There are smaller cons, like end of life and device support. Here's a list of everything.

Pros:

• Battery life
• Charger port
• Less hotness/noise

Cons:

• Software support
• Device compatibility
• End of life dates

So, should you get a Chromebook or a Windows laptop? Both have 3 pros and cons, so it depends on what you want! But the next blog post, "Should You Get a Chromebook Or a Windows Laptop", is all about choosing which one is better for most people. The next blog post should be tomorrow! But so far, I can tell you that they both have the same amount of pros and cons, so if you just look at the pros and cons, it just depends on what you want!