#CHROME OS VS WINDOWS VS MAC UPDATE#
#CHROME OS VS WINDOWS VS MAC ANDROID#
#CHROME OS VS WINDOWS VS MAC SOFTWARE#

And you can, of course, always run software like Microsoft Office on the web if that’s a must-have for you.Īll told, that’s three (or four) operating systems’ worth of apps all in one place. Now, Google is even working to bring Windows apps to enterprise Chromebooks. More recently, Google also brought Linux apps to Chrome OS.

#CHROME OS VS WINDOWS VS MAC ANDROID#

It can run web apps, of course, but it also has access to the Play Store for running Android apps. This may come as a shock to many, but Chrome OS has access to more apps than any other OS out there. They Run More Apps than Any Other Operating System on the Planet Google Minutes!Īnd if you’re a new Chrome OS user, your existing extensions and apps will sync over from your Windows or macOS Chrome installation. Then, the next time you log in to a new Chromebook (or after a powerwash), everything syncs to the new machine and you’re ready to rock and roll in literal minutes. Once you have everything set up on your Chromebook, it syncs with your Google account. And I use a more specific workflow than most other Chrome OS users I know! It’s easy to forget how amazing this feature is if you don’t get new Chromebooks often (or powerwash one). And I’m talking about login, setup, organization-the works. The last time I completely wiped my Pixelbook, it took about 20 minutes from start to finish. Setup Is Also Insanely Fast Googleĭo you remember what life was like the last time you set up a Windows computer? Did it take hours? Installing applications, setting preferences, and all those other little quality-of-life tweaks that most Windows users do seem to take ages. So, you get the long haul on day-to-day use, too.

Oh, and they also get pretty incredible battery life.

#CHROME OS VS WINDOWS VS MAC UPDATE#

Pair the quick boot times and excellent overall performance with the modern eight-year update promise, and a Chromebook is a laptop you buy for the long haul. It’s shocking, especially considering they were both budget models when they were released.

In my house, we have more than one 5+-year-old Chromebook still in commission, and they both are still incredibly serviceable. Unless you’re an 85 tabs kind of person, it’s honestly hard to bog a Chromebook down. I’m working within single-digit seconds on my Pixelbook.Īnd not only do Chromebooks boot instantly, but they run like butter even on limited hardware. It’s the closest thing to “instant” I’ve ever seen from a laptop. I can open my Pixelbook and type in my PIN before the screen fully wakes and it’s ready to go. Pretty much all Chromebooks boot in a matter of seconds, and they wake from a sleep state even faster. But if it was in hibernation mode or turned off, the wait was probably a lot longer. How long did it take before you could actually start doing stuff on it? If it was just asleep, maybe it was fairly quickly. That means it’s up to you to keep an eye on your extensions to make sure everything is on the up and up.īut as far as traditional viruses and malware are concerned, it’s not a concern on Chromebook. And unfortunately, there isn’t a great way to stop this yet. This is probably the biggest threat to Chromebooks, as sometimes reliable extensions get bought out by not-so-reliable companies and go rogue. There is one threat to consider, however: extensions. Every time you boot up a Chromebook (or Chromebox), it runs a check on system integrity. What happens? Chrome OS takes care of that, too, with a feature called Verified Boot. Take that, malware.īut! Let’s set up a hypothetical scenario where some big badass malware makes its way out of the sandbox and onto the system. So if a virus or some other form of malware exists on that page, it not only can’t into the rest of the system, but the process is killed as soon as the tab is closed. Every browser, web app, Android app, or Linux app you open runs in its own virtual sandbox, which keeps it isolated from the rest of the system. Things have come a long way in just the last year on that front.

Now Stadia and GeForce Now both allow AAA titles to be played on Chrome OS. Then Android apps opened the door for more titles. Once upon a time, there weren’t really any games outside of basic browser titles available on Chrome OS. But with each passing day, those limitations are becoming fewer and fewer. Now, I already know what you’re thinking: “But Cam, I can’t on a Chromebook! They’re awful!” And, yeah, I would never argue that they’re not limited in certain areas compared to a more traditional laptop. In fact, there are several ways that Chromebooks are actually better than Windows laptops for many users. Despite all the growth they’ve made in the last few years, Chromebooks still get a bad rap or are often thought of as “just a browser.” That couldn’t be further from the truth, especially now.

Chrome os vs windows vs mac