As pandemic buying continues, Chromebook shipments soared 275% in Q1, says analyst

Shipments of Chromebooks reached 12 million globally in the first three months of 2021, according to analyst outfit Canalys, which pegged the year-on-year growth at a stratospheric 275 per cent. The vendor with the largest total number of sales-in was HP, with 4.36 million units leaving its factories, up 633.7 per cent year-on …

[msknight]

Beats me why.

Unless things have changed, the life of a Chromebook was from the date of manufacture, not the date of purchase. I wouldn't touch one of these if that was still the case.

Update - they did extend the life of some models by the looks of it...

https://www.laptopmag.com/articles/chromebook-6-years-expiration

[Lee D]

Re: Beats me why.

Been working in schools and deploying Chromebooks for 7 years in their thousands. Chances of a device actually stopping working because Google switched it off: 0%. Chances of it being broke in between: 10%. Chances of the Chromebook being deemed obsolete on the asset registers before you get there: 100%

Pretty much any business or school has a 4-year replacement programme for devices like that, so who cares if it stops working in year 5/6/7. But, pretty much, they don't - Google only seem to stop the cheap Chinese junk, they still push updates for anything major-brand.

And given the price of them, I'd far rather buy you a new Chromebook every year than a new laptop every four years.

[Dan 55]

Re: Beats me why.

We just don't have enough landfill Android these days, time to unleash the deluge of landfill Chromebooks. 1 per child per year, onwards and upwards! (Like Wall-E on a rubbish mountain.)

[PaulUK]

School Usage

Figures massively boosted by local schools demanding you purchase chromebooks for when they went back to school.

Normally I wouldn’t touch a chromebook but essentially bullied into getting one so kids arent the only ones in class that don't have one.

[Anonymous Coward]

I would be so angry if my collegues purchased one of these with business funds.

It sounds quite draconian but I would even go so far as to say that anyone working in IT that can perform their job using just a chromebook... probably doesn't need to be in the team and can probably be let go.

Yes, you might have a task entirely making diagrams or spec documents but part of your job is still to use version control, keep internal IP documents safe and offline and use internal communication software.

Anonymous, so my collegues don't start to worry too much... ;)

[katrinab]

The only things I run on my work laptop are the RDP client and MS Teams. As long as I can connect two 4k monitors, a keyboard a mouse, and an ethernet cable to it, it really doesn't need to be that capable. The computer at the other end of the RDP connection does all the work.

[AJ MacLeod]

Precisely! In between browsing The Register tonight I've been taking bookings, updating servers and VMs, responding to email and rolling out firmware upgrades to dozens of wireless access points. From my Chromebook, as it's late and I don't fancy being in my office right now... all of the above are done either in a browser or via SSH in a terminal - both of which are provided by ChromeOS.

Could I do my IT work with ONLY my Chromebook? Probably not. But considering that bought this device quite a few years ago as what some people call my "sofa laptop" I've done a huge amount of work using it - the several laptops I have specifically for work are hardly ever powered up, this one is so convenient.

[chivo243]

Ahhh, the chips!

That could have gone into the HP gear we were 'hoping' to receive this summer. It could be an interesting year. And as far as chromebooks, the old saying applies, if you can't say anything nice, keep your thoughts to yourself.

[steelpillow]

Who needs craptops anyway?

Am I the only geek left who actually prefers the light footprint of ChromeOS and consequent light weight and long battery life of Chromebooks? Never had a craptop, never will.

Don't forget too that generations of kids brought up on Chromebooks and smartphones are increasingly streaming out of school and comparing their prices and familiarity with said doorstops. Some are even starting new businesses. It's a new world now. Bring it on, I say.

[@infosec_jcp]

Re: Who needs craptops anyway?

Find IT fun.ie that the ole 'Network Computer' has _finally_ _FINALLY_ REACHED MATURITY!

YAY, huh Larry E. and Scott M. and Jonathan S., Huh?

*lol.gif*

*crying laughing.gif*

Chromebooks for the ex-Sun/Oracle Systems/Win, init? Hehe.

*FacePalm.gif*

You three are just ahead of your time and the hardware wasn't there for the mainstream is all so IT's cool that you and many more were 'just ahead of the Moore's Law Curve hardware wise', yeah?

[RyokuMas]

I'll just leave this here...

I'm still fighting the school Chromebook thing... hook 'em while they're young!

[Gavin Burnett]

I got a reconditioned Chromebook during the first lockdown to educate and entertain my 7 year old son - and it did that job well.

I noticed last week that a pop up has appeared telling me that google will stop providing updates to ChromeOS in September.

ChromeOS does not seem to be afflicted with viruses/spyware/ransomware ; so I am wondering if I should just leave the outdated ChromeOS in place or wipe it and replace it with GalliumOS.

Time will tell!

[ecofeco]

So the year of Linux arrived at last

And there it is. Linux as a popular mainstream desktop is now official.

Sorted.