How to Check If the Chromebook You Are Using Is Out of Date Before Buying It
Despite all the talk and debate about comparing Macs to PCs, Chromebooks remain an indispensable choice for many, especially students returning to school. While they vary in cost, many are only a fraction of the price of a standard laptop, especially in the used market, and are more than capable of meeting most of your needs. But before you buy a Chromebook simply because of its price, there is one important step you need to take to make sure you are not buying a glorified paperweight.
Chromebook runs on ChromeOS
Chromebooks, like MacBooks and Windows laptops, rely on software to do all the tasks you need. And on Chromebooks, email, web browsing, Google Docs, and everything else is made possible by ChromeOS, the aptly named Google operating system. Like other vendors, Google even periodically releases updates for ChromeOS to bring the latest features to life, as well as fix security vulnerabilities as they are discovered.
Of course, nothing lasts forever. After all, Apple is announcing a new generation of MacBooks that won’t have the latest macOS. The same goes for various Windows laptop manufacturers such as Dell, Acer, Razer, and Microsoft itself. At some point, these companies decide that the latest software is too much for older hardware, but this usually only happens after a few years. But with Chromebooks, it’s a different story.
Why Chromebooks won’t last forever
Every Chromebook on the market, past and present, has what is known as Automatic Updates Expired (AUE). Basically, this is the shelf life of the device, very similar to the shelf life of a gallon of milk in your refrigerator. You can still drink this milk after this date – it will probably be healthy for a while longer – but the store will not be able to sell it after that date. The implications of reaching your Chromebook AUE? It will no longer receive automatic ChromeOS updates from Google.
It’s not that the Chromebook says “well, everything went great,” and shuts down and out of digital life forever. It will still work , but as Google products continue to update and evolve, it may run into compatibility issues to the point where it won’t be able to run the programs you want. It also won’t be able to get technical support, so if something goes wrong with your device, Google won’t be able to help you.
Perhaps worst of all, you will not receive security updates on your device – if new security vulnerabilities are discovered in your version of ChromeOS, you will be left unprotected and could fall victim to a hack.
When does AUE Chromebook usually fire?
The AUE Chromebook does indeed match its release date. AUEs aren’t coming soon for the new Chromebook; in fact, it may not be in five, six, or even eight years. For example, some Chromebooks have a June 2029 AUE.
But it really makes it difficult to buy an old Chromebook. Without realizing it, you may have just bought a used car with an AUE that is weeks or months away, or worse, an AUE that has come and gone, which will make your “new” device obsolete even before how will you log in. at Zoom University.
How to check the AUE of your Chromebook
The quickest way to check the “expiration date” on your Chromebook is to go to this Google support page . Google lists all approved Chromebooks here with the AUE month and year for each device. Just scroll down to find your device manufacturer (Dell, Acer, Asus, etc.) Then expand the window and find your specific model.
If you don’t know your Chromebook model, just open Chrome on your device and type chrome: // system into the search bar. Here you should find the make and model of your particular device, as well as other relevant specifications.