Google ending ChromeOS support two years early

rrbanffy about 3 hours ago 59 commentsRead Article on theregister.com

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Discussion (59 Comments)Read Original on HackerNews

TheqO•9 minutes ago

    > Googlebooks are the big G’s replacement for Chromebooks, the web-centric computers it launched in 2011 and which run ChromeOS. Chromebooks have won plenty of admirers in the education sector, especially schools which  see them as a fine way to get decent and well-priced computers into kids’ hands without having to take on the burden of managing a full OS.

    The newer Googlebook range uses more powerful processors than their predecessors, plus a new OS called Googlebook OS that bakes in Google’s Gemini AI – a product the Chocolate Factory is very keen to see succeed as the great AI land grab continues.

    >...If you buy a Chromebook today, updates will end in 2034 eight years into the future

So they have introduced a major change and said any older Chromebooks bought going forward will only get 8. So its not a retrospective reduction for existing customers.

Sounds reasonable.

8 years is still a long time for a cheap Chromebook.

steveBK123•18 minutes ago

Extremely sarcastic take but - shouldn't the 10x productivity boost of LLMs like their own in-house Gemini make maintaining software easier?

Nothing in terms of feature release / quality / maintenance I am seeing out Big Software would lead me to believe there's been any productivity increase.

sjs382•about 1 hour ago

Of course they are.

One more datapoint to reference in the future when evaluating Google's long term promises and commitments. "No, we mean it this time."

abirch•15 minutes ago

It seems myopic especially if Gemini is supposed to reduce labor costs with software development. 2034-36 would only be security updates.

bryanlarsen•about 2 hours ago

> it’s hard to imagine many Chromebooks currently in service or acquired in the next year or two will still be in service come 2034

While there won't be many there definitely will be some; I know of an ~8 year old Chromebook currently in active use.

shiandow•about 1 hour ago

You can't just expect things to last years! Building stuff to last only benefits society and customers, it does nothing for shareholders!

hobo123•8 minutes ago

Ending is better than mending!

benoau•19 minutes ago

I wouldn't even say 8 years is "old" for a computer anymore, right around Intel's Haswell generation we crossed a threshold of cores and performance and computers became Good Enough. You can see it with Android and iOS tablets too they last a very long time, and of course Apple Silicon leaves no doubt.

adrianmsmith•about 2 hours ago

Exactly.

I know plenty of people who use Apple products such as iPhones and Macs and have to stop using them and throw them into landfill basically because there are no further security updates, although the device works fine and is fast enough for their needs.

Shortening security updates absolutely has an environmental impact.

Kurtz79•12 minutes ago

This. I have an old 2012 Intel Retina Macbook Pro which is already several MacOS versions behind and I’m unable to update it through normal means any longer. It works fine and it still has the best looking screen of any laptop I ever owned.

I keep it at my parents’ house and I maybe use it 3/4 times per year, but it’s enough for my needs when I’m visiting and it feels wasteful to throw it away or store it for good. I fully understand that it is a 14yo machine and it is unreasonable for a company to support old hardware indefinitely, but still, it does feel like a waste.

broodbucket•about 2 hours ago

Schools, sadly for the students.

bryanlarsen•about 2 hours ago

Chromebooks don't last anywhere close to 10 years in school; they get far too much abuse.

theandrewbailey•about 1 hour ago

I work in e-waste recycling, and I can assure everyone that many schools issue Chromebooks to students.

blamestross•25 minutes ago

I use my 2016 pixelbook every day. Best laptop ever made. I have a small stack of them and intend to retrofit them as needed.

TheqO•15 minutes ago

    >Best laptop ever made.

Why do you think that?

lproven•5 minutes ago

Indeed.

I know of two "best laptops ever made":

Drew DeVault says it's the X200:

https://drewdevault.com/blog/Fucking-laptops/

« The best laptop ever made is the ThinkPad X200, and I have two of them. »

He has a very strong case. I own one. It is certainly one of the best ever.

On the other hand, Brad Taunt says it is the X220:

https://btxx.org/posts/x220/

« The X220 ThinkPad is the greatest laptop ever made and you’re wrong if you think otherwise. »

Ulaş Türkmen agrees:

https://okigiveup.net/blog/why-thinkpad-x220-is-the-best-lap...

I also have two X220 machines, and I use them more than the X200 now. They still work perfectly, while my X200 is getting flakey. (Although with its SSD and 8GB of RAM, it runs Alpine very well indeed and could be a daily driver.)

The X220 has a slightly shallowed screen; that's a weakness. But mine are 100% usable: between them, I run Haiku, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, Ubuntu, and Pop OS, and all of them go like stink and are daily-drivable on this 2011 hardware.

torginus•about 1 hour ago

I still don't get the point of Chromebooks. You need the exact same hardware as a real laptop, you don't get to save on anything, in fact it's worse, since browsers are usually heavier than real apps.

But you get less functionality, and have to hack into it even if you can to make it your own.

They're even worse for browsing, as you can only install addons and adblockers allowed by Google, which are deliberately gimped.

At least we get to enjoy freedom on our PCs - the smartphone-ification of computers is a worrying trend (this applies to games consoles too).

danans•22 minutes ago

> I still don't get the point of Chromebooks. You need the exact same hardware as a real laptop, you don't get to save on anything, in fact it's worse, since browsers are usually heavier than real apps.

If by "Save on anything" you mean saving files, you are completely wrong.

There is a filesystem that you can save any data to. If you use the Linux VM you can run nearly any typical Linux software (including any of the in vogue coding agents). You can even run llama.cpp or ollama with GPU acceleration, though you might be constrained by the laptop level GPU and Memory constraints.

There are completely offline apps and tools available (via Android, Linux, and even offline PWAs).

You can even write your own apps and run them only locally on the any of the above 3 runtimes.

Of course, I wouldn't do these on a school-specced Chromebook that costs $200, but $700 Chromebook would easily suffice.

If you mean "Save money", then that's wrong too. ChromeOS is by default more lightweight than traditional Desktop OS's because of the relative lack of legacy cruft and the managed runtime. Even the Linux distro it includes is very stripped down by default (although you can bog it down by running too much stuff like any computer)

The only thing you can't do is run Windows or Mac specific software, but if you need that, ChromeOS was never a consideration anyways.

circuit10•12 minutes ago

I think they mean save money on hardware based on the previous part of the sentence

stickfigure•17 minutes ago

My wife and my 9yo have Chromebooks. Their needs are met. I (mostly) don't have to worry about data hygiene.

I'm sure my kid will want a "real" computer at some point, but by then he will hopefully have enough maturity to keep it secure. My wife couldn't care less.

KetoManx64•41 minutes ago

Schools and boomers

For schools it can be locked down with group policies, for boomers it's just a machine to use a web browser

eviks•about 1 hour ago

Indeed, a big failure of imagination

lightedman•about 2 hours ago

Yea my Thinkpad 11e is still going and running software. That's 12 years old, now.

FloatArtifact•about 1 hour ago

There's simply no real reason that a mobile device can't function as a desktop from a technical level either in software or hardware. Simply dock your phone or it could be even wireless. Boom! Go from mobile experience to desktop experience. It seems they want to cram the mobile experience into a traditional desktop environment (mouse and keyboard driven with windows paradigm). IOS and Android have not embraced desktop paradigm. We simply need a unified SDK to support both experiences and the store downloads the appropriate assets. We're beginning to see somewhat of these concepts with foldables phone coming into the market.

QuantumNomad_•38 minutes ago

Apple having shown that the same CPU they use in some iPhones and iPads, Apple A18 Pro, worked perfectly well to build a laptop around running macOS, the MacBook Neo, should take the logical next leap in making an iPhone/laptop blend.

Make an iPhone and corresponding docking station, where the docking station is a MacBook shell + screen + touchpad + keyboard + battery that you slot the iPhone into in order to use the iPhone as a laptop. The slot you push the iPhone into would be reminiscent of the PCMCIA slots of old, but having the dimensions of the iPhone and connecting via ThunderBolt 5. When slotted into the shell, no part of the iPhone will extend outside of the shell. To eject, you push it in slightly and it pops out same way you push on a microSD card to eject it from many devices.

rcMgD2BwE72F•44 minutes ago

I'm browsing from a Pixel 9 phone running GraphenOS phone, plugged into a 4K monitor, and paired with a bluetooth Logitech MX Vertical mouse and a MX Keys Mini keyboard. Works prefect. I don't miss my Macbook Air M5 much.

pmdr•43 minutes ago

Ubuntu tried that at some point, but it never took off as a mobile OS.

lproven•12 minutes ago

When I left $DAYJOB-1 they let me keep my Dell Latitude 7270. I have upgraded its RAM to 16GB (the max it takes) and downgraded to a smaller SSD.

It runs ChromeOS Flex and it runs it very quickly indeed. It's a quad-core Core i7, so it should.

This 10YO laptop is in daily use and it runs well enough that an EOL for ChromeOS that is 8Y away is a concern for me. I expect the laptop will still be in use then; I still have several 15Y old Thinkpads in frequent use.

Zigurd•28 minutes ago

As per usual, this is a tech industry product naming mess, with a layer of technology consolidation spread on top.

It probably means that low spec hardware won't support whatever they're calling the operating system for a higher spec laptops. Whatever they call it it's an evolution of ChromeOS with an Android runtime, which is nothing new in Google's products.

giancarlostoro•15 minutes ago

My Father in Law had one that ran out of support, but its been way over 10 years, anyone install a different distro over theirs?

PowerElectronix•about 1 hour ago

I guess we should just not trust tech companies for long term support of the stuff they make. How do they think they'll fare after squandering goodwill with shit like this?

Arnt•33 minutes ago

So, if I read that correctly, they're promising that whatever Chromebooks run in 2035-6 will work on the hardware that was sold with ChromeOS in 25-26. And there'll be an upgrade path. Right? That's what they're saying?

ChoosesBarbecue•about 2 hours ago

Are they planning on replacing ChromeOS Flex? It has been a fantastic choice for me to put onto older computers that some relatives own.

someperson•about 2 hours ago

I stopped buying Chromebooks and switched to MacBooks after my fantastic Samsung Chromebook Plus ARM units stopped getting updates after a few years, around the same time the 10 year from release support commitment for new devices was made.

Unfortunately Samsung no longer make Chromebooks, they had some fantastic hardware.

Wowfunhappy•about 2 hours ago

...Unless I'm misunderstanding, I don't think any promises were broken here. Google said they would provide ten years of software updates. Now they're saying existing ChromeOS devices will be upgraded to the new "GoogleOS" within that ten year window, they will continue to receive said updates.

This is annoying if you don't like GoogleOS, but also par for the course. You can't stay on iOS 26 and continue to receive security updates, you have to upgrade to iOS 27.

adrianmsmith•about 2 hours ago

I would agree but Google's wording is

> For qualifying devices purchased today whose 10-year support lifecycle extends beyond 2034, Google is committed to supporting your transition to Googlebook OS, with many devices offering direct migration paths

The word "many" feels like it's pretty much explicitly saying it's not "all". If it's not "all" then I'd say the promises were broken.

thenewnewguy•about 2 hours ago

It's possible those devices will offer indirect migration paths (e.g. you have to reinstall the OS). While annoying/inconvenient, that would probably still qualify as keeping the promise in my book.

5G_activated•about 2 hours ago

It's not just security updates, there's also whether all the device management tools and techniques, training and institutional knowledge, and customer acceptance will carry over to the new OS. Whether the devices that are within AUE and receive the update are going to run the new operating system well, or they're going to languish with poor performance or broken drivers that will never get another look from the manufacturer because they're 2 generations behind in a vast sea of models and individual configurations.

I also can't find anything online to do with what they're going to do to Chrome OS Flex, so thank goodness I didn't set it up for my mum who was sick to death of Windows 11.

reaperducer•about 1 hour ago

You can't stay on iOS 26 and continue to receive security updates, you have to upgrade to iOS 27.

Not a great comparison, since iOS 16 (not 26) received a security update just a few months ago.

ltbarcly3•about 2 hours ago

Intentionally misleading title.

They are changing the support horizon for new sales only, not ending anything early.

seabrookmx•about 2 hours ago

It also sounds like these devices _will be supported_ but not by updating ChromeOS, instead by upgrading to Googlebook OS.

sdcfgy•about 1 hour ago

Why the hell anyone bought into the Chromebook idea I don’t know. Possibly saw the price and thought they’d get away with it.

pkulak•34 minutes ago

I did 10-12 years ago. Google was cool back then. I bought them for family when I wanted something cheap that would work and not be a support burden. Plus, it was (kinda) Gentoo based! But yeah, stopped doing that 5-6 years ago. Now I go with old Thinkpads and Bluefin.

hnlmorg•about 1 hour ago

I nearly bought a Chromebook last month for my son to do homework on.

He already has a PS5 and so doesn’t need the laptop for anything more than running Chrome.

In the end I managed to repurpose an existing laptop. But a Chromebook was a serious consideration for a little while.

jeffbee•12 minutes ago

ChromeOS is targeted to and adopted by large organizations like enterprises and governments and school districts, because it is extremely easy to manage and has maybe 0.2% as many headaches as Windows or Mac.

drybjed•27 minutes ago

Add it to the pile.

https://killedbygoogle.com/

TheqO•11 minutes ago

Why? They haven't killed anything, they have reduced support from 10 years to 8.

Chromebooks tend to be cheap relative to other laptops so 8 years isn't bad. Android tablets and Phones costing 2 or 3 times a chrome book have been promised 7 years for Android.

Razengan•34 minutes ago

> The newer Googlebook range uses more powerful processors than their predecessors, plus a new OS called Googlebook OS … $899

Gobbledegook. Planned obsolescence? This is accelerated obsolescence!

Why would anyone go for that instead of a MacBook Neo or even an iPad?

qurren•28 minutes ago

What the hell is the actual difference between ChromeOS and GooglebookOS?

jeffbee•7 minutes ago

Googlebook is Android with the ChromeOS application stack ported on top of it. ChromeOS hosts Android apps in a compatibility subsystem. They basically just turned it upside-down and shook it.

jackb4040•about 1 hour ago

Huh. Apparently if you Google "GoogleBook", the first 2 results aren't for GoogleBook but for Google Books.

ck2•35 minutes ago

https://killedbygoogle.com

(no longer updated?) https://gcemetery.co

5G_activated•about 2 hours ago

Yet another market that is never going to trust Google with long term support for a product again!

dmitrygr•about 1 hour ago

And this is why when Pixel phones started promising 7 years of support, everyone with a brain said “uh huh, suuuure” and kept buying iPhones which DO deliver that.

thevillagechief•about 1 hour ago

So far so good for the rest of us without brains. Pixel 6 got it's full 5 years of promised support. We're hoping it's cheaper to provide the full promised 7 years of support than to pay the class action lawyers.

Cider9986•about 1 hour ago

I guess we will see by October 2030. They'd be getting a class action lawsuit for clear fake marketing.

https://grapheneos.org/faq#device-lifetime

It doesn't seem like they are ending support for updated software on these devices before 10 years, it will just be different software.

techteach00•about 2 hours ago

My students Chromebooks can't run python online. 1 tab. Ad riddled. IT won't install ad blocker. The misery so many of us deal with. I'm happy has to know. Depressing.

I might just make my own html editor with GitHub

Joe_Cool•about 1 hour ago

https://pyscript.net/ ?

What are you using?

ltbarcly3•about 1 hour ago

make your own html editor with github... and you teach tech?