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12 Reasons why you should get yourself a Chromebook if you’re shopping for a new laptop

by Felix Omondi
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If you’re in the market looking to buy a new laptop; ordinarily you would be choosing between a Mac and a Windows laptop. However these days there is an equally (just as good) third option, the Chromebook.

These Chrome OS powered laptop have grown up so well over the years, and the fact that they come with an inexpensive price tag goes a long way for shoppers on a tight budget. So now to the real question; does Chromebook have any real advantages over Mac or Windows PC?

Well in this article we are going to explore the advantages of using a Chromebook over the traditional Windows or Mac computers.

#1 – Ready to go out of the box with Zero Setup Required

When you buy a Chromebook, all you need is to log in to your Google account and you are ready to go. unlike a Mac or Windows PC, which you will need to install some software and do some elaborate setting up process.

For instance, on a Windows laptop, you will need to install Microsoft Office, an antivirus program, and even perhaps upgrade the operating system to the latest. We all know how cumbersome Windows upgrades and updates can become.

Which Chromebooks, all the software you will be using will be running off Google Cloud Servers. To a significant extent, all the software (apps) you will be using on Chrome OS run from the cloud. There will be little to no local hosts running on the machine itself.

#2 – No more paying for Software after purchasing the Chromebook

When you buy a Windows or Mac computer, which will be just the beginning of things you will need to pay for, you will also have to pay for a significant amount of the software. Especially on Windows, you will need to pay for the Windows license. For both Mac and Windows, you will still have to pay for application software like Microsoft Office and antivirus program among others.

Chrome OS comes packed with all the software you will need to work on the machine. Google has its own version of common Office Suite package like Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides. And they are all available for free from your Google Drive account.

#3 – Never having to Save your Work, but you’ll never Loose them

Have you had your hard work vanish into thin air because your laptop crashed, got stolen, or you accidentally spilled coffee on it? Well with Chromebook, all your work gets store in the cloud in real-time.

That means you never have to click the Save button neither will you lose the work should your computer be unavailable for whatever reasons. Should your laptop not be available, all you will need is to log in to your Google account on any other device, and all your work created on the Chromebook will be available for download from Google Drive.

While working on a Chromebook, all your work gets stored in real-time, that is up to your last key stroke on the keyboard. Now, the same cannot be said about a Mac or Windows computers.

#4 – Up to 100GB for free cloud storage on Google Drive

When you buy a Chromebook, Google awards you 100 GB of free storage on Google Drive. Well, it will be free for two years, but still, that much more than the free 15GB Google fives for every Google account user.

After the expiry of the two years, you can choose to subscribe (pay) for the 100GB, if not more. However, should you choose not to subscribe, all your files, pictures, documents will still be kept on your Google Drive account; not deleted. You can only access them, download, share them, but you will not be able to create additional files, unless you subscribe.

#5 – Longer Battery Life

One thing I hate about most Windows laptops, is they come with a very short battery life. The best in their class (for the most brands) is four hours. Though there are some newer Windows laptops that can rival a Mac or even some Chromebooks.

Well, let’s establish something. The average Chromebook can easily give you six hours of battery life, and the very best of their class can go for much longer. Only the best of Macs or Windows can give you a battery life rivaling that of an average Chromebook.

#6 – Free In-Built Protection

Data security is critical in this digital world we are living in, and your computer manages and stores so much of our data. If you are using a Mac or Windows computer, you would be advised to install third-party security programs (antivirus and anti-malware software).

However, when using a Chromebook, Google gives you an in-built multi-layered protection that include automatic updates, verified boot, and localized data encryption. As it works out, Chromebooks boot up in ROM mode and connect all apps stored on the Google Cloud Servers within a sandboxed ecosystem. It is extra harder for even the really good hacker to get around that type of security.

#7 – Multi-Users

They are ideal for use in Schools and Work Places where multiple people will be using the ame machine. They beat Windows and Mac computers in this department given nothing is actually saved locally on Chromebook, so there is virtually no risk of one user’s files getting mixed with those of another user. Or one user accessing the files of another user.

#8 – Good Parental Control mechanisms

A Chromebook is probably the best computer you can give your kid. As a parent, you can set up a supervised accounts for your kids, and then you can track their activities in those accounts, and limit their online activities to protect them from danger lurking on the internet.

#9 – Your Files follow you everywhere and are Readily Accessible

We might have featured this point in one of the points above, albeit from a different angle. Since nothing actually gets saved locally on your Chromebook, all your files sync to your Google Drive cloud account in real-time, you can access your files from anywhere. Simple grab another internet-enabled device, log into your Google Drive account, and voila, all your files on your Chromebook at work, school, back at home will be accessible.

#10 – Light Weight

Your typical Chromebook is much more lighter than your typical Windows laptop. That is mainly due to the fact Chromebook hardware are lean, which Windows laptops comes with big onboard storage among other weighty hardware.

#11 – Chromebooks are Inexpensive

Again, a typical Chromebook cost way less than a typical Windows laptop. Obviously, there is no need of mentioning Mac computers. We all know they are high-end electronics products.

#12 – Auto Updates

As a long Windows user, I know how annoying having to wait for your computer to update so you can begin working. Microsoft really sucks at updating and upgrading its operating system. Apple seems to be doing a better job, but Google has perfected it. With a Chromebook, you will no longer have to wait for updates to install.

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