Chromebooks have not taken off in the UK as in the US and also for some reason they are considered by some to be inferior to PC’s . Not sure why , except they have features that may limit their use. Being dependent on wifi is one of them. But so do iPads! So why the barrier?
Is it the cost? They are cheaper than PC’s and Apples and quicker too! The battery life IS 10 hours or more and the real boon for Assistive Technology is the range of Assistive tools the operating system contains
One of the biggest pluses is no need for Ant-Virus software as that is already built-in to the operating system. And updated regularly at source so that you never get virus or spam or anything that slows your computer down. I have had my chromebook for the last 7 years and there have never ever been a problem with viruses. And it stills works as efficiently as it did when I bought.
Another advantage , especially for schools, is the lightning quick loadtime. 7 secs is my time – 7 years on! It still performs with that speed.
[Q]”But I use Microsoft Office products, surely that’s a Windows Operating Package?”
[Answer] Yes and No. It is a Windows software but you can use it on a Chromebook with Office 365. This runs happily on a chromebook.
Extensions
Chrome extensions are the gem for Chromebook users. Extensions are free can enable a wide variety of functions from Readlax which gives an image free environment to Helperbird which gives a range of dyslexic friendly tools. Some are productivity tools that help the user get the best out of their Chromebook . Colour Enhacer puts colour filters over the web browser to loom which records what is happening on the screen for playback and learning purposes. Here is an example of a loom recording. This could be really useful in terms of teaching and learning from a remote point of view. In fact some of it looks like Zoom
So the drawbacks?
Wifi – it needs wifi to function so when at home or work that is possible. But on the move unless you have portable wifi you won’t be able to create new files or access either Office 365 or Google Docs without access to Wifi
Earlier models (like mine) can’t cope with group video conference meetings we have discovered. Also, the quality of the camera and speed of the chromebook is not conducive to the media of video conferencing.
Office 2019 can’t be downloaded as apps on a Chromebook.
Conclusion
Overall having a Chromebook is a good thing. If you are home working as lots of us now are due to Covid-19 we find that Chromebooks are fast and nice to use. I think the newer models are even better. SSD were used in Chromebooks longer than PC’s. Pricewise they are very competitive and the only drawbacks that worries me is the wifi connectivity and video conferencing. The later may be better on newer , more powerful models. The graphics card may be underpowered for more demanding media such as video conferencing
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