Google has announced that starting next year, Chromebooks released in 2021 or later will get 10 years of automatic updates, an extension of 2 years from the current 8 years. It is understood that many consumers and education customers have previously criticized the use period of Chromebooks. This is a change made by Google after encountering various complaints.
Google says the 10-year commitment is "much longer than any other operating system currently committed to support." Apple's macOS is generally supported for 7 to 8 years, and the upcoming macOS Sonoma requires at least the 2017 iMac Pro. Microsoft has always been relatively flexible on the Windows operating system, and the deadline depends on the specific situation. Although the latest Windows 11 now has stricter requirements, which makes many eligible devices unusable. Of course, users can choose some workarounds to avoid it.
Although Google said that the update support time for Chromebooks released in 2021 will be extended, "some features and services may not be supported" and the extension needs to be turned on manually after receiving the last update originally expected. Google also emphasized that these Chromebooks still have "strong built-in security features," such as Verified Boot, which can check whether the operating system has been tampered with.
This year the Education Fund, a public interest research group, published a report saying that Chromebooks that have exceeded their support deadlines "create piles of e-waste and impose additional costs on schools." To this end, the agency is also pushing for 10 years of automatic update support and simplifying Chromebook repairability through standardized designs.