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Chromebooks

mjschabow

mjschabow

macrumors 601
Original poster
Dec 25, 2013
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Alright. Looking for the skinny on these. I've been surviving with a half working laptop for a while, but now that the apocalypse is here, my daughter is going to be having some online schooling sent to her.

Basically, I'm looking for a device that isn't slow as **** and can do the basics like web browsing, Microsoft Office, watching YouTube/Disney/Hulu, etc.

I really like the looks of the Pixelbook Go but $650 is a little high. Are the $200-$300 range Chromebooks ok or should I just dish out the cash for the Pixelbook Go?

If yes to the cheaper ones, any suggestions?

And anything else I should know going into this?
 
I have had the Pixel book i5 and the version 1 Chromebook Plus and sold the Pixel book. In my uses the Pixel book simple wasn't worth the extra money, I am very pleased with the Chromebook Plus. My experience in using was was so similar, not talking build quality etc but the actual daily use
 
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I've got an Acer Chromebook 314 which I picked up from a sale for less than 300€ just to see what Chromebooks are like, and I can just say it exceeded my expectations by quite a margin. The price more or less dictates that the screen resolution is a bit low and the keyboard is not backlit, but the performance is better than I thought, battery life is great and thanks to the Android app support as well as Linux support behind just a single checkbox makes the machine really versatile especially for its price. Also the keyboard is great to type on.

If my primary computer died now, I would get quite far with just the Chromebook, at least up to the point where I need more specialized software that's not available on a Chromebook or Linux (yet).
 
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Roadstar said:
I've got an Acer Chromebook 314 which I picked up from a sale for less than 300€ just to see what Chromebooks are like, and I can just say it exceeded my expectations by quite a margin. The price more or less dictates that the screen resolution is a bit low and the keyboard is not backlit, but the performance is better than I thought, battery life is great and thanks to the Android app support as well as Linux support behind just a single checkbox makes the machine really versatile especially for its price. Also the keyboard is great to type on.

If my primary computer died now, I would get quite far with just the Chromebook, at least up to the point where I need more specialized software that's not available on a Chromebook or Linux (yet).
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Nice. The 314 is one that I looked at actually!
 
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BeatCrazy said:
Any deals to be had on the Go? $649 is more than I’m looking to spend for each of my 2 kids.
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Well I did get a student discount at Best Buy and just put in the notes that it's because my daughter will be home schooled until the crisis is over and was approved right away. I also had some rewards so I ended up paying $550.

1 day in and I absolutely love the simplicity of the OS so far. I changed the storage to default to Google Drive so I can share files between my Pixel 4 XL and my Pixelbook Go.
 
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mjschabow said:
Welp. I ended up going with the Pixelbook Go and I am seriously impressed. It's like a larger Pixel 4. Lol.
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Have chromebooks come a long way in the last few years? My friend was given one about 4 years ago and it was irritating beyond belief for her because she things every computer does the same thing and couldn't figure the limitations. My dad who has never had a personal computer at home is now working from home. He went looking for laptops thinking you couldn't get one for under $1k. The only place open right now that sells laptops is walmart and went in and bought him a $279 HP laptop running Windows 10. It's really low spec but considering all he really has to do is remote through citrix, it wasn't a problem. Besides all that if you were just doing word, email, movies, youtube, facebook, and internet browsing, it would be fine which I was actually surprised by. Its a intel pentium running at 1.3ghz, 4gbs ram, and a 500gb HDD. After uninstalling some bloatware i was really surprised at how fast it actually was plus with office 365 i installed desktop versions of apps which he is used to compared to a chromebook where you would have to use Office online. It might not be the fastest computer but for under $300 dollars getting a full 15" laptop that works tje exact way he is used to is IMO a better value than a chromebook with much better specs.
 
derekamoss said:
Have chromebooks come a long way in the last few years? My friend was given one about 4 years ago and it was irritating beyond belief for her because she things every computer does the same thing and couldn't figure the limitations. My dad who has never had a personal computer at home is now working from home. He went looking for laptops thinking you couldn't get one for under $1k. The only place open right now that sells laptops is walmart and went in and bought him a $279 HP laptop running Windows 10. It's really low spec but considering all he really has to do is remote through citrix, it wasn't a problem. Besides all that if you were just doing word, email, movies, youtube, facebook, and internet browsing, it would be fine which I was actually surprised by. Its a intel pentium running at 1.3ghz, 4gbs ram, and a 500gb HDD. After uninstalling some bloatware i was really surprised at how fast it actually was plus with office 365 i installed desktop versions of apps which he is used to compared to a chromebook where you would have to use Office online. It might not be the fastest computer but for under $300 dollars getting a full 15" laptop that works tje exact way he is used to is IMO a better value than a chromebook with much better specs.
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Yes, chromebooks HAVE come a long way in 4 years. Not only has Chrome OS matured quite a bit over the years, but chromebooks now support Android, Linux, and Windows (via WINE or CrossOver) apps. Back then, nearly all Chrome apps required an internet connection but now a significant number of apps now work offline.

Having said that though, Windows 10 is indeed much better and leaner than when it was first released. I have a few Chromebooks... a Google Pixelbook and an Acer Chromebook 14. I wiped out the Acer and installed Windows 10. After debloating it and locking it down, it really does an excellent job of running Win 10... just as good as it was running Chrome OS.
 
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sracer said:
Yes, chromebooks HAVE come a long way in 4 years. Not only has Chrome OS matured quite a bit over the years, but chromebooks now support Android, Linux, and Windows (via WINE or CrossOver) apps. Back then, nearly all Chrome apps required an internet connection but now a significant number of apps now work offline.

Having said that though, Windows 10 is indeed much better and leaner than when it was first released. I have a few Chromebooks... a Google Pixelbook and an Acer Chromebook 14. I wiped out the Acer and installed Windows 10. After debloating it and locking it down, it really does an excellent job of running Win 10... just as good as it was running Chrome OS.
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Yeah it was a while ago when I had any real interaction with a chromebook. IMO still, I wouldn't ever tell someone to get a Chromebook because now you can get a decent Windows laptop for the same price, plus I really despise Google with how they deal with competition, whether its just not making apps for a platform (windows mobile) breaking apps when windows mobile built their own. Lack of any real Windows apps, even though microsoft floods their ecosystem with their software. Youtube.com being crappy on anything other than chrome, etc etc. There are many more. Yes im a hypocrite because I have a android phone, and thats only because there is no longer a windows phone and I told my self I was never going back to iOS. Sorry I just really don't like google....
 
PBG has been a great device so far. 2 months in and I’m still adjusting my usage, but I dig it.

I wanted something lighter than my MBP and lighter than the MBA. Something as comfortable as my IPP11, but with a cursor, arrow keys, mouse support, etc.

I had no idea touch pads were coming to iPadOS with full support. Only saw the new bridge add on option and the shipping dates weren’t even firm, much less any software enhancements to iOS. Talk about timing.. that was a big announcement. Kinda wish I had waited 3 more seconds after years of wondering why it’s so hard to select text and you know, paste it.

Fast forward a few weeks, and it’s really tough to complain about the pixel book go. Super light just like I wished. Keyboard and trackpad are as perfect as any apple device. Speakers and battery life too. All 100%!

Complaints? Yes, one. iCloud and email. My email has been a pain to deal with on iOS and Mac devices for months now (see other threads). And nOw it’s a pain in my ass on a non-Mac device too.

The pixel book go is a great device though. Make a Mac that lightweight, comfortable, and without all the nagging updates, and I’ll come back to the air or pro
 
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Been using the 10 inch Lenovo Duet for about 2 weeks now; perfect road Chromebook for me in the $300 range. Very portable, does everything i need, replaced my 9.7" iPad Pro.

 
OdT22 said:
PBG has been a great device so far. 2 months in and I’m still adjusting my usage, but I dig it.

I wanted something lighter than my MBP and lighter than the MBA. Something as comfortable as my IPP11, but with a cursor, arrow keys, mouse support, etc.

I had no idea touch pads were coming to iPadOS with full support. Only saw the new bridge add on option and the shipping dates weren’t even firm, much less any software enhancements to iOS. Talk about timing.. that was a big announcement. Kinda wish I had waited 3 more seconds after years of wondering why it’s so hard to select text and you know, paste it.

Fast forward a few weeks, and it’s really tough to complain about the pixel book go. Super light just like I wished. Keyboard and trackpad are as perfect as any apple device. Speakers and battery life too. All 100%!

Complaints? Yes, one. iCloud and email. My email has been a pain to deal with on iOS and Mac devices for months now (see other threads). And nOw it’s a pain in my ass on a non-Mac device too.

The pixel book go is a great device though. Make a Mac that lightweight, comfortable, and without all the nagging updates, and I’ll come back to the air or pro
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It's shockingly good. I love the design, the very light weight, and even the screen and keyboard. The OS is so minimal that the computer seems fast and it supports just enough apps to make it worthwhile for someone with basic needs.

Also, the touch screen makes it seem ahead of my 2020 MBP in that respect. It's so intuitive sometimes to touch the screen that it has made me a believer. And for the rest of the time, it still works with a trackpad (a good one, actually) or a mouse, so the touchscreen doesn't diminish any of the rest of the experience.
 
I used a chrome book before I switched to the Mac in 2015. After my MBA 2014 and new MBA its easily the third best computer I’ve used. I don’t really do much on my computers. As an OS on it’s own, disregarding ecosystems, I really like it. It’s simple to use, low maintenance and comes with none of the issues of windows.

As for whether its good for others. Think carefuly about what you want yo use the computer for. Think about any software and programs you want to run on your computer. Chrome OS is entirely web based so look to see if what you need to do can be achieved either using web based solutions or android apps.
 
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