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Zigurd 33 seconds 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.
sjs382 27 minutes 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."
bryanlarsen 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 59 minutes ago [-]
You can't just expect things to last years! Building stuff to last only benefits society and customers, it does nothing for shareholders!
adrianmsmith 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.
broodbucket 2 hours ago [-]
Schools, sadly for the students.
bryanlarsen 2 hours ago [-]
Chromebooks don't last anywhere close to 10 years in school; they get far too much abuse.
theandrewbailey 40 minutes ago [-]
I work in e-waste recycling, and I can assure everyone that many schools issue Chromebooks to students.
torginus 24 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.
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).
KetoManx64 14 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 39 minutes ago [-]
Indeed, a big failure of imagination
lightedman 1 hours ago [-]
Yea my Thinkpad 11e is still going and running software. That's 12 years old, now.
FloatArtifact 21 minutes 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 that is 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_ 11 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 17 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 16 minutes ago [-]
Ubuntu tried that at some point, but it never took off as a mobile OS.
Arnt 6 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?
PowerElectronix 25 minutes 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?
qurren 34 seconds ago [-]
What the hell is the actual difference between ChromeOS and GooglebookOS?
sdcfgy 32 minutes 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 7 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 22 minutes 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.
ChoosesBarbecue 1 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 1 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.
Razengan 7 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?
Wowfunhappy 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 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 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 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 1 hours 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 2 hours ago [-]
Intentionally misleading title.
They are changing the support horizon for new sales only, not ending anything early.
seabrookmx 1 hours ago [-]
It also sounds like these devices _will be supported_ but not by updating ChromeOS, instead by upgrading to Googlebook OS.
jackb4040 48 minutes ago [-]
Huh. Apparently if you Google "GoogleBook", the first 2 results aren't for GoogleBook but for Google Books.
Yet another market that is never going to trust Google with long term support for a product again!
dmitrygr 1 hours 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 39 minutes 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 41 minutes ago [-]
I guess we will see by October 2030. They'd be getting a class action lawsuit for clear fake marketing.
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 1 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.
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.
One more datapoint to reference in the future when evaluating Google's long term promises and commitments. "No, we mean it this time."
While there won't be many there definitely will be some; I know of an ~8 year old Chromebook currently in active use.
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.
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).
For schools it can be locked down with group policies, for boomers it's just a machine to use a web browser
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.
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.
Unfortunately Samsung no longer make Chromebooks, they had some fantastic hardware.
Gobbledegook. Planned obsolescence? This is accelerated obsolescence!
Why would anyone go for that instead of a MacBook Neo or even an iPad?
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.
> 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.
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.
Not a great comparison, since iOS 16 (not 26) received a security update just a few months ago.
They are changing the support horizon for new sales only, not ending anything early.
(no longer updated?) https://gcemetery.co
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.
I might just make my own html editor with GitHub
What are you using?