First introduced in 2011, the Chromebook is taking the industry by storm. With over 50% market share in the EdTech market, it looks like they’re here to stay for the foreseeable future, or at least until Google goes out of business -- like that’s ever gonna happen.
So, what is a Chromebook?
A Chromebook is simply a laptop running Chrome OS as it’s operating system. Chrome OS is an operating system that was designed by Google and based upon the Linux kernal.
From the viewpoint of a School Administrator or Technology Director:
- Chromebooks have a 61% lower total cost of ownership.
- Chromebooks take 93% less time to deploy.
- Chromebooks take 68% less labor to support.
From the viewpoint of the students, teachers and others that use them everyday:
- Chromebooks start at $149
- Chromebooks take less than 10 seconds to startup. Dang! That’s fast!
- Chromebook batteries last 7+ hours between charges.
- Chromebooks have multiple layers of security and are safe from malware and viruses without any additional security software to slow things down.
- Chromebooks update themselves automatically so you don’t have to.
- Chromebooks automatically store all of your files in the cloud (a.k.a. Google Drive), so your all of your work is always backed up.
Watch this video for a good overview of the advantages of Chromebooks for business and education.
What can you do with a Chromebook?
Now you know that Chromebooks are inexpensive, they go all day on a single battery charge, and they don’t get viruses. So what can you do with a Chromebook? The answer is a freakin’ ton!
For schools, there is Google Apps for Education. This is a suite of Google software that includes Gmail, Classroom, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive, Calendar, Sites, Hangouts, and more. For more information, visit https://www.google.com/edu/products/productivity-tools/ , or watch this video to see how Chromebooks can benefit your school.
For businesses, many of the same apps mentioned above are available for free. Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive and more are commonly used in office environments to replace costly software suites and file servers.
For personal use, you can use the apps mentioned above, plus you can play music and games, watch movies, surf the internet, check email, and so much more. Visit the Chrome Web Store to find thousands of apps, games, extensions and themes for chrome. Many of them are free!
So if you’re in the market for a new laptop that is affordable, yet feature rich, give a Chromebook a try.
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