Google: Chromebooks Will Get 10 Years of Software, Security Updates
Google next year will begin providing 10 years of automatic security and other software updates for Chromebooks in a move that addresses cyber concerns in the education sector and larger criticism that the popular low-priced systems needed to be replaced too often.
The IT giant in 2019 announced an extension of the Auto Update Expiration (AUE) for Chromebooks from five to eight years, with that now reaching to 10 years starting in 2024. The 10 year-extension will happen automatically for Chromebooks released from 2021. For those released before 2021, IT administrators and users will be able to extend the AUE for 10 years from the platform’s release.
Security, energy efficiency, and sustainability are key drivers of the update extensions, according to Google.
“Security is our number one priority,” Prajakta Gudadhe and Ashwini Varma, senior directors of engineering at the company, wrote in a recent blog post. “Chromebooks get automatic updates every four weeks that make your laptop more secure and help it last longer. And starting next year, we’re extending those automatic updates so your Chromebook gets enhanced security, stability and features for 10 years after the platform was released.”
Chromebook Sales Spiked During Pandemic
Google in 2012 released the first Chromebooks, relatively inexpensive devices that run the ChromeOS operating system. They caught on with schools and similar industries where low cost and a friendly user experience were assets and exploded in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic and the rapid shift to remote learning, with a broad range of school districts adopting the systems.
According to the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) Education Fund said that in the first year of the pandemic, 31 million Chromebooks were bought around the world. The EdWeek Research Center said in a report that in March 2021, 90% of district were providing a Chromebook for every middle and high school student, with 84% doing the same for those in elementary schools.
The device’s popularity is continuing. According to Maximize Market Research, the global Chromebook market last year was worth more than $30.1 billion. It’s expected to grow to more than $51.4 billion in 2029.
The extra two years of automated updates and security patches will be important for school districts looking to save money by expanding the lifespan of their devices and ensuring their security. Educational institutions – similar to healthcare facilities – over the past couple of years have become a priority target of ransomware gangs and other cybercriminals.
Security Updates are Crucial
Victims of the attacks range from public school districts to higher-ed institutions. Cybersecurity firm Check Point said cyberattacks against the education sector last year jumped 44% over 2021, driven by the shift to remote learning and the amount of personal data schools hold.
The White House in August said it is working to strengthen the cybersecurity of K-12 schools, noting that in the 2022-2023 school year, at least eight such school districts were hit by cyberattacks, forcing the victims of four of the incidents to either cancel classes or shut down completely. The cost to a district of an attack can range from $50,000 to $1 million, according to the Government Accountability Office.
That said, security isn’t the only concern about the lifespan of Chromebooks. PIRG earlier this year slammed Google for design and other choices that led to “Chromebook churn,” which not only put a financial burden on schools and other organizations but also led to environmental and sustainability problems.
Environmental, Sustainability Concerns
In a scathing report, the group noted the expiration of automatic updates, a lack of spare parts from vendors, and designs that make repair and reuse of the systems difficult. The report noted that most Chromebooks had four years of updates left, with 64 models set to expire next year. Doubling the life of Chromebooks could save schools $1.8 billion and cut emissions to the point where it would equal taking 900,000 cars off the road for a year, PIRG wrote.
“This is the dark side to Chromebooks: they don’t last as long as they should, and have unique challenges to fixing them,” the organization wrote in the report.
In a letter to Google in June, PIRG and a list that included school districts, environmental firms, parents, educators, and device repair shops urged the company to extend the life of 13 Chromebook models from vendors like Dell, HP, Acer, and Asus that were due reach their AUE date in three months.
“We can’t afford to keep replacing technology at the current rate,” the letter said. “Google has the power to lead the industry towards a circular economy with longer lasting laptops.”
Faster Repairs, Greater Efficiency
Along with the extended automatic upgrade, the Google engineers said the company also is addressing those concerns. That includes updates to make repairs faster, such as allowing authorized repair centers and school technicians to repair Chromebooks without needing a physical USB key, which they said will reduce the time needed for software repairs by more than 50%
“In the coming months, we’ll roll out new, energy-efficient features to a majority of compatible platforms,” Gudadhe and Varma wrote. “Adaptive charging will help preserve battery health, while battery saver will reduce or turn off energy-intensive processes.”
PIRG applauded Google’s AUE extensions, noting that fewer systems will be thrown away “because they’ve reached their ‘death date,’” Lucas Rockett Gutterman, director of PIRG’s Designed to Last campaign, said in a statement. “Google and other tech companies should continue to innovate ways to commit to a circular economy and stop pressuring us to replace our phones and laptops.”
That said, there’s still more that can be done to extend the lives of Chromebooks, including standardizing parts across models and manufacturers and ensure there are spare parts available to those repairing the devices, he said.
