[mike.mikeatkins]

The more I read about Chrome OS, the more I like the sound of it. My one reservation is their. Basically I was talking to a salesperson the other day, who said that Chromebooks are designed to be put on school stationery lists, and then used for one school year, then traded in for a newer model the next year. Now, I love the idea of a computer that's simple, fast, and basic, but I'm not so keen on one that I have to replace every year.

In my experience, computers tend to slow down as they age, so planned obsolescence is pretty much set in stone. My hope was that the simplicity of a Chromebook would avoid this issue. No harddrive to wear out, no big weird programs to bloat it out. They're lean and mean, but also designed to stay that way. But if they don't last, then that defeats the purpose.

 

[BlackKnight_UK]

Chromebooks don't slow with age like, say Windows computers. My Chromebook is as fast as it was when I first received it.

As for the point about them being used for a school year, not sure your salesperson go that right. It's certainly the first I've heard of anything like that.

Chromebooks have an Auto Update Expiration date, after which it won't receive system updates.

There is a list on the Google Support website which gives the AUE date for different Chromebook models.

Auto Update policy

 

[Willabong]

Bought my Chromebook second hand about 2 years ago, the expiration date for this Chromebook is almost 7 years in the future, so I wouldn't worry about end of use, and your sales person is living on another planet ! For browsing the Internet or using a text editor, photo viewer, simple games, news, weather, and almost anything a laptop will do, a Chromebook is just as useful, and it is very easy to use and understand, very lite to carry anywhere and has very good battery life.