Chromebooks are currently not a big market in Germany and Europe. That could possibly change: Notebooks with the Google operating system will be equipped with automatic updates for 10 years from 2024. The promises Google in a blog post. The innovation applies to all Chromebooks that were purchased from 2021 and are already in use.
For older Chromebooks, there should also be the option to manually activate them for the ten-year update cycle. For comparison: Most Android phones receive updates from their manufacturers for a maximum of five years. Some manufacturers even shorten this duration. For example, Microsoft has stopped supporting the first generation Surface Duo, which is only two years old.
Supported as long as Windows 10
Speaking of Microsoft: The latest Windows version has also been officially supported for just over ten years. Windows 10 was introduced in July 2015 and will no longer receive updates from October 14, 2025. It seems as if Google wants to catch up with the competition and offer an equally long support period. It’s different with MacOS: Versions are supported for a shorter period of time. MacOS 10.15 Catalina received updates for around three years. However, Apple offers relatively easy upgrades to newer versions.
Google also promises that ChromeOS will be equipped with monthly and regular security patches. Here too, the manufacturer is on a par with Microsoft. Windows receives monthly security patches and is thus kept up to date.
Whether ChromeOS is suitable for ten years on a device is another question. The company is known for spontaneously changing services and software or discontinuing them completely. ChromeOS is an important product for Google in the education market and in the home country of the USA. The manufacturer may also manage to be better received in Europe in the future.