A look at Chromebooks

Update! Since writing this article, we created our own Chromebook Comparison Guide. Hope you enjoy it!

In this article, we will look at Chromebooks and why it is becoming so popular in the world today and if it is worth considering as your next computer or a second computer.


The first Chromebooks arrived on June 2011. They were basic computers that were simply a Chrome Browser on a cheap computer. The price was also quite low. Soon the market grew as many people started to experience the joy which, we Linux users, always enjoyed; fast updates, free and no viruses and let's face it many people are merely using a computer to browse the internet, and they don't need the rest and Google released that a Chromebook meet that need.


After Chromebooks grew in popularity, especially in schools, but businesses and for home use also, Google realized that people are missing some apps. As people are familiar to Windows and apps galore, so they brought the Google Play Store to Chromebooks, which has been one of their best moves yet, as people are already familiar with it due to Android phones and as Chrome OS  and the Play Store is part of Google, it was an obvious move.


However, this move brought in a new stage for Chromebooks as well because no users can run many more apps, but it also means that Chromebooks needs more system resources, so different price ranges for Chromebooks appears.  Cheap ones and pricey ones with powerful hardware.


As Chromebooks become more powerful and more popular Google continues to improve it by bringing more software to it, and the next thing is Linux apps so that we can run native Linux apps like LibreOffice, Blender, etc. on a Chromebook.  It is still a work in progress, and they are continuing to improve it so that it can run nearly all the Linux apps in the future flawlessly.


Crossover also released a package to run Windows apps on Chromebooks and Wine also have a package for Android, and I will be surprised if it doesn't work on Chromebooks as well.


With all of this in mind it seems like it can be the perfect computer for many, but as a Linux Geek myself I want the complete power of Linux on it, and on many of the Chromebooks there are ways to install Linux, like Ubuntu on it, either alongside Chome OS or in place of it.
It is possible to run Ubuntu and other Linux distros, and there are many good tutorials out there which you can follow to do it.


So a Chromebook is not just an excellent computer for people who needs a browser and maybe that one or two Linux apps, it can also be transformed into a powerful, beautiful affordable Linux system.


But the question remains will it take over the majority of the computer market as Windows did?


I think it has the potential for one primary reason.
One of the reasons Windows became so popular is that it filled up all the schools and children grew up with it, and nobody likes changes, so when the children became adults, most people continue to use Windows as it is familiar.  Chromebooks in a similar way are filling up the market as, especially in the USA and UK, nearly every scholar is using it at school, and as far as I know people still don't like change, so the circle might happen again.


However, there are ways they have to improve in my eyes to succeed to become the majority in the computer world, and these are some of the ways.  Just as Android phones spread all over the world and didn't stay in some of the major countries, Chromebooks also must become available all over the world for affordable prices, and as it is Google, it is possible for sure.


Another nice feature will be if Google, and they have all the money in the world and developers is, if they can somehow make a way to install any Windows application on a Chromebook, I know that sounds far fetched, but if one company can pull it off, then it will be Google.


Another feature which Chromebook gamers can look forward too is Stadia, a gaming platform which can on computers with basic resources and then connect via the internet to powerful Google servers and you can enjoy all the best games on a Chromebook or any Chrome Browser for that matter.


There are so many Chromebooks available, and it can be challenging to find the right one for your needs, so I find this webpage very helpful to compare Chromebooks with and then buy on Amazon, etc.


A person can also buy Chromebooks on special days on Amazon like Amazon Prime Day and Black Friday, look here to sign-up for fantastic Chromebook Specials!


Would you be interested in Chromebook tutorials on how to enjoy Chromebooks to the fullest, with maybe a new YouTube channel? Let me know in this blog's comments!

Comments