Google accused of sabotaging Chromebooks by cutting updates

A damning new report suggests Google has successfully sentenced outdated Chromebooks to dying by ending help for them – a declare that the corporate has strenuously denied.

As The Register explains, a report by U.S. PIRG titled Chromebook Churn (opens in new tab), alleges that after a spike in gross sales, primarily spurned on by the COVID-19 pandemic, Chromebooks purchased by colleges are actually starting to “fail”, causes extra digital waste and “saddling schools with additional costs.”

According to the report, there are three predominant explanation why even the very best Chromebooks have gotten unusable for colleges:

1. Manufacturers usually don’t promote new spare components or in any other case help restore.
2. Computers have a built-in “death date,” after which software program help ends.
3. Design selections frustrate restore and reuse. 

With factors 1 and three, the report criticises Chromebook producers akin to Asus, Acer and HP for creating Chromebook gadgets which can be tough to restore, and for not providing spare components or restore providers, so when a Chromebook turns into defective, there’s little or no house owners can do aside from discard the Chromebook. For colleges which have closely invested in Chromebooks, this difficulty turns into much more problematic because of the scales concerned.

The report discovered that of 11 Chromebooks which U.S. PIRG had repairability scores (that are required in France), the Chromebooks all scored noticeably decrease when it got here to repairability and components availability in comparison with commonplace laptops.

According to the report, “Acer does not directly sell spare parts for their devices,” whereas “HP claims to offer parts for Chromebooks at parts.hp.com, but searching reveals huge gaps in its practical use.” In this case, whereas HP claimed to supply components for its Chromebook 11a, these components have been actually the ability adaptor and twine – not a lot use if the Chromebook wanted inner repairs.

Asus, the opposite main Chromebook producer singled out within the report, “offers a ‘Customer Self Repair’ program which claims to offer, “speedy, convenient option for notebook repair,” which is barely higher, however which the report notes could also be of use to people, however not a lot use to colleges and establishments that might have lots of of items to restore.

Death date

While the report takes intention at Chromebook producers, Google, the corporate behind the Chrome OS working system they use, additionally will get flack for including what PIRG calls a “death date”, however which Google calls “Automatic Update Expiration (AUE) dates.” Essentially, each Chromebook is seemingly given a set date when it’ll not obtain updates for Chrome OS.

While this doesn’t imply that the Chromebook will cease engaged on that date, it does imply it not will get safety and have updates, leaving it weak to web threats akin to viruses. This is especially worrying for colleges whose Chromebooks are used primarily by youngsters.

Also, PIRG claims there’s been reviews of expired Chromebooks not with the ability to entry sure web sites resulting from not with the ability to cross a safety verify – a fairly main drawback for Chromebooks, contemplating they rely a lot on on-line providers.

Hardware and software program reaching ‘end of life’ phases is commonplace – Microsoft, for instance, has stopped supporting older variations of Windows, akin to Windows 7 and Windows 8. However, because the report suggests, these finish of life dates took place after a for much longer time than the ChomeOS AUE dates occurred.

For instance, Windows 7’s finish of life was 14 January 2020, 10 years after the working system launched. Some Chromebook’s AUE are seven years after the mannequin has launched – and resulting from how colleges buy Chromebooks, they may get the unit two or extra years into the product’s life – which implies the time earlier than the AUE arrives is dramatically shorter. This might additionally influence particular person customers as properly.

Crucially, you possibly can improve a laptop computer or PC to a more recent model of Windows when the present model reaches its end-of-life – so long as the system meets the minimal {hardware} necessities. However, with Chromebooks, there may be much less readability about why a Chromebook can’t be up to date to a brand new model of Chrome OS, and its tough – if not unimaginable – to modify to a distinct working system.

This results in a scenario the place colleges, establishments and even people might discover that they’ve a non-functional Chromebook, regardless of its {hardware} being completely advantageous. This, once more, is extremely wasteful.

Google’s response

We contacted Google after studying the report, and got the next assertion:

“We’ve worked diligently with our hardware partners to increase the years of guaranteed support Chromebooks receive, and since 2020, we now provide eight years of automatic updates, up from five years in 2016. We also are always working with our device manufacturing partners to increasingly build devices across segments with post-consumer recycled and certified materials that are more repairable, and over time use manufacturing processes that reduce emissions.

Regular Chromebook software updates add new features and improve device security every four weeks, allowing us to continuously iterate on the software experience while ensuring that older devices continue to function in a secure and reliable manner until their hardware limitations make it extremely difficult to provide updates.”

Google’s transfer to increase help for Chromebooks is to be welcomed – nevertheless, the report claims that this extension exhibits that “AUE dates are a choice.”

I feel that’s being a bit unfair – Chromebooks by their nature depend on web providers, moderately than locally-installed purposes, so retaining them up to date with security measures is extremely vital, and in some unspecified time in the future Google does must restrict the quantity of gadgets it may well maintain supporting earlier than issues get unmanageable.

However, extra transparency on when AUE dates are and why they’re applied will surely assist. It additionally doesn’t assist should you purchased a Chromebook in 2016 solely to seek out it not supported, and subsequently missing options, after simply 5 years.

Recommendations

The report is sort of painful studying for Google and Chromebook producers, because it undermines the principle promoting factors of Chromebooks: their affordability, environmentally pleasant nature and advantages as academic gadgets.

Chromebooks stay some of the very best laptops for college students on this planet, and are gadgets I typically suggest to people who find themselves searching for a extra inexpensive different to laptops and MacBooks.

The report means that “Chromebooks aren’t designed to last, but Google has the power to change that,” and lays out 5 methods to handle its issues.

The first is to “Extend expiration dates for Chromebooks” to 10 years after the mannequin’s launch date. This, the report claims, will “allow school districts to greatly extend use, potentially allowing students to use the same Chromebook throughout the majority of their K-12 attendance. Decommissioned laptops could also be resold or refurbished to extend their life.”

The second is that “manufacturers should produce spare parts based on 10% of their stock,” and that this “will increase availability and keep prices low for institutions buying common parts in bulk such as keyboards, screens, and chargers.”

The third suggestion is that “Parts should be standardized across models and manufacturers” which might enable components from damaged Chromebooks for use to restore others – even from totally different producers.

The fourth is that “Refurbishers should be able to unenroll devices from remote management,” as sure Chromebooks could be locked down if it’s tied to an earlier consumer. This is a crucial safety function for people, however might trigger points for colleges and establishments that count on many customers to make use of one system over its lifespan.

The closing suggestion is that “Google should make it easy to install alternative operating systems,” akin to Linux.

These are admirable options and will surely improve the lifespan of Chromebooks – nevertheless, sadly I actually can’t see many of them being adopted.

Extending the AUE would have monetary and operational implications for Google that I can’t see the corporate being eager on, particularly within the present local weather. I can also’t actually envision Google being eager on permitting customers to put in different working techniques.

Demanding producers to provide spare components of 10% of their inventory additionally appears optimistic and doesn’t appear to consider legit monetary explanation why the producers would do that. If they have been, count on Chromebook costs to rise.

Also, as a lot as I’d like to see it, I battle to think about HP, Acer, Asus and different rivals placing apart their variations and standardising components. Not solely is there a rivalry, however they might additionally argue that this standardisation reduces product uniqueness.

The fast obsolescence of Chromebooks is an important and regarding matter, particularly whether it is being artificially hastened  by selections Google and producers are taking. I’m actually glad that this report has highlighted such points. However, I don’t assume the options it comes up with are significantly real looking, though I want they have been.

Regardless, this is a matter that wants addressing, and I would like Google and producers to proceed to present me good causes to suggest Chromebooks to folks.