Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Why I sold my MacBook Air and bought a chromebook.

Never used a Chromebook, but from what I see it looks to be an iPad without a touch screen and with a keyboard attached. I went from an iPad to an Air, simply because I hated the iPad experience. I used the iPad only when I traveled and will use the Air in the same way. The difference in all this is that the Air is a real computer and can do everything my Mac Pro can, albeit much slower.

For me, I can't believe I suffered using that darn iPad for so long. The Macbook Air is the real thing IMO. The Chromebook, not so much.

Lou
 
Last edited:
robvas said:
Not sure how you would even upload 100GB from a Chromebook.
Click to expand...

Do you seriously need this to be explained, or are you just joking and making a mockery of the chromebook. Can't tell at this point.
 
Compile said:
As much as I agree with this, there are tools that bring the functionality of a *nix shell to Windows effectively.
Click to expand...

Cygwin might work well for some, but "effective" can be a relative term. *nix functionality with cygwin, but all of the Windows GUI applications in the same environment lack any awareness of the features that a *nix environment brings to the table. So there's this total disconnect between the native Windows apps and whatever you compile in cygwin. I found it no better than having PuTTY and running a shell session to a remote server, or using a linux VM.

OR, I can do my work in OS X, where there is no disconnect.

----------
robvas said:
Not sure how you would even upload 100GB from a Chromebook.
Click to expand...

There's an app for that. Not to menion, cloud storage services like Google drive are meant for collaboration and working on multiple systems, multiple platforms. You can easily upload gigabytes of files from other computers you own, or share a folder with friends for a project or whatever, and you'd have access to all of it on your chromebook.

Chromebooks definitely have their usefulness for specific use cases. It's not for everyone though. Then again, the same is true about Macs.
 
A question of feeling I guess...

My story is kind of the opposite. I bought a Chromebook and... frankly, did not liked it. Price is awesome, idea is awesome but the hardware... felt weird, felt cheap (IMO).

Looked good, felt wrong.

A key broke within days. Battery life was good though. I ran almost a 6-7 hours word processing at 50% light. But, hard to read, hard to type too (11 inches is not for me, I guess...)

I agree with almost all opinions here, about the pros and cons. Found the same things with the Chromebook as all of you did.

Then, my friend presented me the new 2013 model MBA. And told me about the battery life (For the 13 specifically). I went to BB to just take a look. Forget it : it stucked in my head. Instant want. I tried to resist. One week later, I bought it from apple.com.

OMG.
What a machine!

It looks right, it feels right.

I know, I would have been able to do 90% of the job with the Chromebook. I'm not a Apple product fan, I'm fully into Google stuff. Still.

It took me seconds to fall in love with the MBA.

That's what I was expecting.

I know, not the same price tag. But, hey, you can get from point A to point B with a Yaris and Ferrari too. One of the two will make the trip far more pleasant :D
 
Being the techie that I am, I would give anything a go once. Honestly I feel like the Chromebook serves no purpose, I dont think I would purchase one for myself.
 
user-name-here said:
Since I like having only 1 computer for everything, I could never go with a Chromebook (or Windows RT): way too many limitations.
Click to expand...

I second the opinion. It's an interesting concept but not really practical without having to make much compromises. Cloud computing may be the future but not the present.
 
I bought a Samsung Chromebook for my Dad as a Christmas present. I myself hate the thing during the times I've used it. The screen alone is a deal breaker for me. It's AWFUL! I know the HP version has a slightly better screen because it's glossy as opposed to matte but it still pales in comparison to the sharpness of even the screen on my 13' MBA. It also feels incredibly cheap to hold and you just know that even a small drop off an end table would crack the cheap plastic casing whereas nothing much would happen if you did the same to a MBA. And back to the screen, even while cleaning it of dust you feel like it's going to crack or otherwise break on you (Talking about the screen here).
 
To he OP (or others with experience): what do you use for Remote Desktop on the chrome book? When my old MacBook eventually bites the dust I likely won't replace it since I have an iMac on all the time anyway as a media server and my photography machine. I will probably go with just the iMac and an iPad, but a chromebook may be a nice addition too, since there are times I still prefer the laptop form factor over a tablet.
 
rusty2192 said:
To he OP (or others with experience): what do you use for Remote Desktop on the chrome book? When my old MacBook eventually bites the dust I likely won't replace it since I have an iMac on all the time anyway as a media server and my photography machine. I will probably go with just the iMac and an iPad, but a chromebook may be a nice addition too, since there are times I still prefer the laptop form factor over a tablet.
Click to expand...

It comes with software preinstalled I think google realized it cant be the only computer for everybody. I think they should advertise this functionality more, and a lot more people would be interested. Also after adding desktop applications yesterday the OS feels more complete its kind of fun to be using a growing OS like this its always growing and changing. I also started using remote desktop on my iPad hated touch screens so I tried a surface and that was a horrible experience was about to keep using my air when amazon sent me an offer on Chromebooks a week later my Ipad and Air were sold.

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/chrome-remote-desktop/gbchcmhmhahfdphkhkmpfmihenigjmpp
 
HarryWarden said:
I bought a Samsung Chromebook for my Dad as a Christmas present. I myself hate the thing during the times I've used it. The screen alone is a deal breaker for me. It's AWFUL! I know the HP version has a slightly better screen because it's glossy as opposed to matte but it still pales in comparison to the sharpness of even the screen on my 13' MBA. It also feels incredibly cheap to hold and you just know that even a small drop off an end table would crack the cheap plastic casing whereas nothing much would happen if you did the same to a MBA. And back to the screen, even while cleaning it of dust you feel like it's going to crack or otherwise break on you (Talking about the screen here).
Click to expand...

HP's Chromebook 11 screen is an IPS display. It is superior than the screen on the MBA which isn't an IPS display.

When you drop a MBA, you will dent the aluminum casing. Lol at saying nothing will happen to it. :rolleyes:
 
ValSalva said:
And This review scares me off even even trying a Chromebook. Look at the title :D

Living with a Chromebook for a week is like 7 minutes of heaven, then 7 days of hell
Click to expand...

This review sums it up nicely, doesn't it?

The biggest realization came for me when I turned on my MacBook Air after a week. (I had to because I needed to take a Skype call.) It was so … fast. And I could use every Chat service I wanted. And the battery life was much better than the Pixel. And it was so much lighter. And I could run the full version of Spotify. And I could open iTunes. And I could edit Microsoft Office documents without a lengthy conversion process. And I could use Dropbox. And it didn’t slow down for me. And, best of all, I could use the Chrome browser, and every Chrome app I had installed, on my Mac. It was wonderful and such a relief to not have to think about what I couldn’t do, or worry if my next email attachment will open or not.
Click to expand...

Seriously, other than saving a few bucks on hardware - I can't see any benefits of Chromebook over something like MBA.
 
My guess is that the typical poster on this forum just isn't the target market for the ChromeBook.

I wouldn't be either, but my wife (who never does anything but email and web) probably would be. ChromeBooks should be tested on people like my wife, not people like you and me. It doesn't really matter what we think.
 
Airforcekid said:
Overall I am glad I made the switch and would highly recommend this laptop if you have an iMac or desktop to remote control or if your looking for something hassle free to recommend to someone with simple uses (I know 2 people who use it as their sole computer.) Worst case if you truly hate it you can dual boot Linux and you can resell it without losing too much money.
Click to expand...

I have a MacBook Air. I also have a Nexus 5 and a Chromecast, both of which I love.

I bought a Chromebook a few weeks ago - an Asus. I'd kept an eye on Chromebooks and liked the idea, but just couldn't see the point, figuring the only way I'll 'get it' is when I buy one.

Totally pointless - it's been sitting unused ever since.

- The screen quality is awful. It's 10yr old LCD tech with terrible blacks and a poor viewing angle
- There's SO much I can't do with it, it really couldn't replace my MBA
- The fan runs all the time, so it's actually quite noisy.
- It won't even 'ping' when I get a new email. Downloading the "Gmail Notifier" extension made the fan spin 10x faster, so I quickly deleted that. The only way to check for new emails is to check the open Gmail tab - that's worse than on any other non-Google computer/tablet/phone.
- Pathetic internal memory. Less than that in my phone.

I just don't get it.
 
Felasco said:
My guess is that the typical poster on this forum just isn't the target market for the ChromeBook.

I wouldn't be either, but my wife (who never does anything but email and web) probably would be. ChromeBooks should be tested on people like my wife, not people like you and me. It doesn't really matter what we think.
Click to expand...
If you need a device for websurfing and emails then get an iPad or iPhone.
These chromebooks seem ridiculos.
 
Meister said:
If you need a device for websurfing and emails then get an iPad or iPhone.
These chromebooks seem ridiculos.
Click to expand...

I'm not too knowledgeable about iPads, but it appears the cheapest one is about twice the price of a ChromeBook.

Web surfing and email on a phone screen? Not for me thanks. My wife has an iPhone and rarely uses those features, screen is just too small.

----------
Mildredop said:
There's SO much I can't do with it, it really couldn't replace my MBA, I just don't get it.
Click to expand...

It's simple. The ChromeBook isn't designed to compete with MBA. That an apples and oranges comparison.

The ChromeBook is for a different market, all those millions of people whose computing life consists almost entirely of web and email. It doesn't make sense for these folks to spend a thousand dollars more just to surf the web.
 
Felasco said:
I'm not too knowledgeable about iPads, but it appears the cheapest one is about twice the price of a ChromeBook.

Web surfing and email on a phone screen? Not for me thanks. My wife has an iPhone and rarely uses those features, screen is just too small.
Click to expand...
Phone screens are kinda small. A new ipad mini with lte costs 299,- here. Without lte 249,-
Buying a bulky device like a chromebook for trivial tasks is inpractical.
Use an iPad and you will see what i mean.
 
People who can do with an chromebook shouldn't have an Air to start with. Stupid Google post.
 
Felasco said:
I'm not too knowledgeable about iPads, but it appears the cheapest one is about twice the price of a ChromeBook.
Click to expand...

You can get a refurbished (basically a brand new) iPad on an Apple store for as little as $249. Your wife will have a MUCH better experience browsing the web and doing her email on an iPad than a cheaply made $200 Chromebook with horrible screen, slow performance and poor battery life.

Plus, she will be able to do many more things on an iPad beyond web/email, which could never be done on a Chromebook. Even for those imaginary people who "only" do email and web - I fail to see the point of these things.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back