Is a Chromebook for you?

The Chromebook. They are a technological marvel that came along at just the right time. For years you had two choices when using a "computer"; a desktop or a laptop. In the early stages, the laptop was big, bulky and rather limited. They quickly improved and started giving desktop computer a run for their money. Just when laptops were making great strides, boom, along comes the smart phone. Suddenly everyone just had to be mobile. Forget being tied down to a desktop computer, you didn't even want the burden of a laptop. Why would you when you had a device that you could stick in your pocket with all the apps you needed. Apple had the iPad, and it had it's faithful followers. Mostly diehard Apple users. Several companies tried (unsuccessfully) with the "Netbook". The netbook was a smaller version of a laptop, with limited features, and a limited Windows operating system. They were "OK" but left a lot to be desired. I think people tried to like them, but really, they were more trouble than they were worth. Plus, the smart phone was such a success, and if you were going to use a netbook (which was a limited tool) why not just get an iPad?

Enter Google. Love them or hate them, the folks at Google are true geeks and are not afraid to step outside the lines. Following the overwhelming success of their Chrome browser, they started experimenting with a streamline operating system built on the linux open source kernel. Their operating system had a lot going for it, small, fast, and free. Keep in mind, while they were tweaking this really cool OS, they were pushing cloud services like gmail, drive, calendar and free cloud storage. I think they knew exactly what the end goal was and had the perfect script to achieve said goal.

When all the stars were properly aligned, they released the Chromebook. The Chromebook has been out for a while now and they have several models to choose from. It's an idea who's time has come. BUT is the Chromebook for you?
We are going to look at the pros and cons of a Chromebook and why it might be the perfect fit for you.

Face it, smart phones are great. They are small, lightweight, powerful and have a ton of apps. Plus the target users will stand in line for hours for the latest and greatest. The smart phone owner is hooked, no doubt about it. With that being said, sometimes you just need a computer. And most of the time you can be just as productive with a laptop. With computing changing rapidly, and Cloud services being a mature alternative, it's probably time for many of you to consider a Chromebook. Here are a few things to consider when thinking about making the move:

Why Should You Buy A Chromebook?

1. You mostly use your computer for online content. If you use webmail, Facebook, twitter, pinterest, tumblr or other web-based apps/data, then the Chromebook is for you.
2. You are already a Google fan. If you already have a Google/Gmail account, then you are familiar and comfortable with the way google works. You probably already use their cloud apps.
3. You "get" the cloud. If you understand what cloud storage and online apps are (and use them regularly), you are ready for a Chromebook. Don't laugh, there are MANY people in the technology world that do not understand the cloud. They don't even know it exist. 
4. The OS takes care of itself. The Chrome OS updates automatically and seamlessly. And it performs flawlessly. You don't have to worry about updates, it is taken care of for you!
5. No viruses! The Chrome OS is built with security in mind. Plus, it uses the Linux kernel which is not a big target of viruses. One less thing to worry about.
6. You are very mobile. If your job or personal life is "on the go" then the Chromebook is just about perfect. Small, lightweight and fast, all the stuff you need and nothing you don't need. A perfect way to stay connected.

A few other things to consider. 

A Chromebook is inexpensive. It cost much less than a PC or Mac laptop. They are very lightweight and could easily fit into a purse or backpack with room to spare. They boot up quickly. The boot time for the Chromebook is between 5 - 10 seconds. That is fast! And the boot times stay consistent. The Chromebook has multiple USB slots,  microSD slots plus an HDMI output, so you have built-in expansion. Another big plus is battery life. The Chromebooks have great battery life!

Why The Chromebook Might Not Be Your Best Choice

1. You need to store lots of files locally. For instance, if you are a photographer, you probably need LOTS of storage for digital images. The same goes for video & audio files. With a Chromebook storage being between 16 - 32 Gig, it wouldn't be the best choice for a user that needs tons of storage for their files.
2. Use of specific desktop applications. If you do lots of digital image work, or audio/video editing, then skip the Chromebook. The Chromebook was not designed to install a lot of applications on. So if you are a big Photoshop user, or gamer, look elsewhere.
3. If you are offline a lot. If you spend a lot of time offline (or don't have access to the Internet) then you probably shouldn't buy a Chromebook. The Chromebook is meant to be an online tool. For instance, if you are a writer that mainly uses a word processor and stores your files locally and you mainly work in areas where you don't have Internet access, you would be better off with a regular computer/laptop.
4. If you really like the way you are doing things and really don't want to change. Hey, I understand that! Change for the sake of change is quite silly. If things are clicking along just fine in your technology world, no need to change it. 

Keep in mind that with the Chromebook, you can't install a ton of apps on it. You can get apps for the Chromebook and you have the Google Cloud services. Printing can be a substantial hurdle as well. Plus, you can't take advantage of Skype, however you will have access to Google Hangouts.

With the prices ranging between $169 - $380 (with the average being $250) you should easily find one to fit your budget. Personally I like the Samsung 11.6 inch Chromebook 2 with the Celeron processor, 2GB memory and 16GB flash drive. Street price for the Samsung is $249. It's not the fastest, doesn't have the biggest screen, or the largest hard drive. For the price you get a lot of computer that is light and small. Besides if you are looking at Chromebooks, you probably already have a Google account for online storage.

The Chromebook might not be for everyone, however it is a wise choice for many users who mainly access the Internet, use social media and check their email. In fact, I'll go so far to say this; most home users actually need a Chromebook. It would eliminate many of the problems they have with malware, viruses, and updates, (not to mention the pain of using Windows 8) and so many other issues associated with a conventional computer.

Before purchasing a Chomebook, make an honest assessment of your computer needs, look at a realistic budget, and if possible, try a Chromebook before you buy. You might find that a Chromebook is the perfect tool for your technology needs!

Additional info.  FYI, off the record, & personal opinion

After finishing the above post about the Google Chromebook, I felt the need to add some additional information for folks considering a new computer. Let me say upfront, this is my unfiltered, biased personal opinion, however, I will try to keep it on point and honest. 

If you go shopping for a new computer, either at a physical store or online, you will be deluged with millions of tables, notebooks, regular laptops & of course the Chromebook. Try as hard as you can to avoid an impulse purchase. You should also avoid being lured into a purchase based only on the "incredible price". Remember, almost always, you get what you pay for. 

Many companies have tons of "Windows-based" laptops to compete with the Chromebook. Here is my opinion on these low-cost laptops. Yes, they run Windows OS. But it is a variation of Windows 8 (the absolute worst OS ever coded)! Yes the laptops are cheap (hovering around the $100 - $300 range). Yes they come with Office Online (for a year). However, don't think you will be getting a full-on super-duper fantastic laptop just because it has Windows and Office on it. Sure, you will be able to surf the web and check out all the social media. Sure, you have the option of creating/editing Office documents. Sure, you can install Windows-based applications (but they are going to run slooooow). But beyond the part about surfing the web, you should be patient, since these laptops are not the most cutting edge technology available. They will have slower processors, less RAM, and smaller drive storage (usually 16GB ssd). Why do you think they are only $100 - $200? In addition to what I see as obvious shortcomings of the machines, you will still have to concern yourself with updates, patches, virus/malware protection. All on a slower version of Windows 8. 

The Chromebook's price range is between $169 - $380 (with a nicely equipped Chromebook at $249). They have a very fast Chrome OS which boots quickly, has great battery life and isn't trying to use any bait & switch tactics to lure you into buying one. Google let's you know upfront what a Chromebook is and what it was designed to do. It is an Internet device! A tool to access online content and Cloud-based storage & apps. No surprises. 

If you don't think a Chromebook will work for you and you absolutely have to have a Windows-based laptop, spend the extra money and get a full fledged laptop with adequate RAM & hard drive space and a fast processor. Don't forget a webcam, CD/DVD recorder, large screen, plenty of USB ports, full size keyboard and a minimum of 4GB of RAM. Try to find one within your specifications that has Windows 7 installed instead of Windows 8. BUT, be willing to pay the price ($400 - $800 and up) for the extra horsepower!

Remember, you aren't doing an Apples to Apples comparison here. You are looking at two completely different ends of the spectrum. Find the tool that works best for you.

Which Operating System Should You Use

Your computer has to have an operating system in order to run. Without an operating system (OS), a computer is just various hardware components connected together in a nice case. Very few people beyond the Geek level even give a second thought to the operating system running on their computer.

I think that most users think that the only operating system available is "Windows" or "Microsoft Windows". In most cases they are right. Microsoft operating system has a clear monopoly on the user end of things. In the server world, even though Microsoft probably has a bigger percentage of the server OS market, Linux is making huge leaps with big companies using their server OS.

In actuality, the desktop user has basically three choices for an operating system: 

Microsoft, Mac (Apple) and Linux. 

Microsoft:
Microsoft has the most users in the desktop market. Windows XP and Windows 7 being very popular operating systems. Even though Microsoft has stopped support of Windows XP , it is still very popular and being used in large numbers. Microsoft's newest operating system, Windows 8 (& 8.1) is a huge disappointment and generally is being avoided by most users. In fact, Windows 8 was so badly received, Microsoft is working feverishly to get the new Windows 10 to market. Even though Windows 10 should be released soon, I see most businesses and educational entities continue to use Windows 7 until it is no longer supported by Microsoft. Windows 7 is stable, people trust it and there is no real reason to change to Windows 10. Available software applications for the Microsoft operating systems is huge. This is one area that Microsoft has an apparent advantage, and isn't likely to change anytime soon. I say apparent advantage for a reason, which I will explain later. All major software vendors put top priority in the Microsoft releases. Although, many are starting to put more emphasis on the MAC and Linux OS as well.

MAC (Apple):
Apple has always had a strong niche market of faithful followers. That isn't about to change anytime soon. Apple has a great operating system. It works, and has few issues. The reason Apple has a reputation for such a stable OS is, they control the hardware in their systems. Due to this tight control of the hardware they can insure that the OS and drivers will perform at top efficiency. Everything works together and the end-user has no surprises. Another part of Apples success is the iPhone and iPad. These two products are built to work well with the MAC computer in a seamless manner. iTunes is a hugely popular online "store" with everything from music to apps. However, most iTunes users have a "love it or hate it" attitude. To the casual user, it works well, but at times can be problematic. Plus, iTunes pretty much demands that it takes control of your digital music catalog, and you do not get a lot of say in the matter. That's fine unless you want to make certain changes to your music collection and iTunes doesn't want you to. I know of people that have given up their Apple products simply because of iTunes (although they were perfectly happy with everything else). the biggest issue with the Apple computer is the upfront cost of the MAC and MacBook. They do cost more, however they work flawlessly and do not suffer the issues that Microsoft does.

Linux:
Of the three operating systems, Linux is probably the one that most users are least familiar with. Linux is a free operating system based on the Unix OS and released by Linus Torvalds in 1991. Linux has a huge share of the server market and growing every year. In recent years, various linux desktop operating systems have made huge leaps in becoming a truly user-friendly OS. One of the most popular, and easiest to install and use, desktop distributions is Ubuntu Linux. Ubuntu linux is very easy to install and use. It has lots of hardware drivers and application software for most users. Ubuntu Linux is based on the very stable Debian distribution, however the installer is much easier. Linux operating systems (for the most part) is a part of the Open Source Software community. Generally speaking, open source software is developed by a community of developers and programmers. It is made available to the general public with no (or very little) copyright restrictions.
The bottom line with Linux is, people just don't know about it. The ones that do, are intimidated and won't give it a try. I have found that people are very resistant to change when it comes to technology. Don't get me wrong, change just for the sake of change isn't my idea of a fun time. However, I have said for years that educational facilities could save millions of dollars by adopting at least some of the open source software in their systems. The challenge always comes down to lack of time and man hours to learn something new and implement it. Oh, and face the disgruntled employees that has to deal with change! Seriously, many people could perform their jobs fine with open source software. Especially an open source (Linux) operating system. There are many Linux distributions available that run great on older hardware. You can take a computer that runs slow with Windows 7 and install a version of Linux (optimized for older hardware) and it will run considerably faster. It will continue to run well too.

Does it really matter which operating system you are using? In the big scheme of things, no! But, if you are experiencing frustration with your current OS, or just want to try something new, you owe it to yourself to try something different. If you have a home computer, and it is an older system, and you mostly use it for surfing the web, checking out FaceBook and reading your email, Linux would be a great alternative. My main office  computer is using a version of Linux, and all of the software I use on it is open source! All of the software I am using on my Linux office workstation is free!!! My job responsibilities are wide and varied, but Linux works just fine. I also use the MAC OS as well as Windows 7.

I honestly think that technology is getting to the point that the operating system you use will become less and less of an issue. Think about it, we are rapidly getting to the point that most of our content is online. Much of our applications are online as well (if not, you can find online alternatives). So, in the future, our operating systems will be very scaled back from what we have now. The main focus of future operating systems will be:

1. A powerful web browser.
2. Network capability.
3. A simple graphical user interface.
4. Online (Cloud) apps and storage.

I omitted printing capability in the list since many online apps have printing functionality built-in.

Update! Another serious contender

A new emerging operating system is Chrome OS which comes installed on ChromeBooks. Actually the Chrome OS is built on the Linux kernel. So you have a linux-based operating system that is designed to work with web applications and data. This is the future of operating systems. Beyond specialized duties (video/audio editing, photo editing etc...) where you would need a high-powered desktop workstation, most people will do fine with a ChromeBook type computer. One of the advantages to a ChromeBook is the low cost. You can purchase a ChromeBook for $250.00. With online apps, such as Google Apps, you can create documents, spreadsheets, presentations, forms and have access to an online calendar and webmail. All from a  $250.00 laptop that boots up quickly, and runs flawlessly. One of the biggest selling point with Chrome is the fact that it constantly updates in the background. You never have to be concerned with installing updates. As a Chromebook user, you don't have to worry about antivirus software, this is something that Google handles in the background. For MANY users, a Chromebook would solve all of their issues!

In closing, I encourage you, especially if you are a little on the geeky side, to find an old computer that isn't being used, download a linux distro (Ubuntu, ElementaryOS, Linux Mint, Lubuntu or Xubuntu) and give them a try. You might be surprised! The Linux installers now are very user-friendly. It's basically step-by-step. It is advantageous to have a little technical, but with that being said, several years ago I did a test. I put two computers in a room with two of our Instructional Staff members. I gave them two Linux installation CD's. The only instructions I gave them was to press the F12 key to boot up with the CD. They successfully installed a working linux distro! They were so excited. That got them on the road to open source software. Think of the computers that could be placed in our classroom with the installation of a Linux distribution! Computers 6,7 or even 10 years old could still be productively used with an optimized Linux distribution installed on them. If you are at the point that you need a new home computer, you might want to consider a ChromeBook. Make a list of your requirements, see if a ChromeBook (or MAC Mini) fits your needs. Try something new, and don't be afraid of change!