Chromebooks Are Really Trash Unless Google Steps Up Its Game: Public Interest Advocate

A new report states that Chromebooks are not designed to last and unless Alphabet Inc.’s GOOG GOOGL Google steps up its game, many schools will be burdened with additional costs and electronic waste due to the failure of these devices

What Happened: Chromebook sales in the last quarter of 2020 surged by 287% compared to the previous year, but now, after three years, many schools are burdened with additional costs and electronic waste due to the failure of these devices, according to a new report titled “Chromebook Churn” by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group Education Fund or PIRG. 

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“Schools have piles of working Chromebooks that have become e-waste because they’ve expired,” stated Lucas Gutterman, the director of U.S. PIRG’s Designed to Last campaign. 

He added, “Google could significantly increase the lifespan of all Chromebooks being used by extending their Automatic Update Expiration (AUE) date. Our tech should last longer, and Google can lead the industry.”

According to the report, these devices are designed to be low-cost, which results in them breaking irreparably when they do fail. Chromebooks have concealed expenses that are not reflected in their price tags. 

One such expense is the difficulty in sourcing replacement parts, which can be pretty challenging, even for models that appear to be similar.

Google did not immediately respond to Benzinga’s request for comments. 

To address these concerns, U.S. PIRG suggests that Google take action by prolonging the duration of its automatic updates to 10 years and by urging manufacturers to enhance access to standardization and common hardware.

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Photo: Courtesy of Luis Roca on Flickr