Press. voanews.com
The Google
Chromebook, a type of stripped-down laptop, isn't a practical mobile device for
many people - mostly because it basically turns into an expensive paperweight
whenever it can't find a Wi-Fi connection. Yet Chromebooks have defied
expectations and made major inroads in an unexpected environment - U.S.
schools.
In retrospect,
that shouldn't be too surprising. Chromebooks are cheap and easy to manage,
making them popular with budget-constrained schools with limited tech-support
staff. And Wi-Fi is now common enough in U.S. schools and homes to make an
internet-dependent device practical for students.
Google doesn't
want to stop there. It's releasing new models in partnership with Samsung that
are designed to appeal to a broader range of consumers. They have several
tablet-like features, including a stylus, touch controls and a 360-degree hinge
that allows you to turn the screen faceup. One starts selling Sunday for $449;
a more powerful version comes out in April for $100 more.
Google and its
manufacturing partners are trying to shed the Chromebook's perception as
underperforming budget devices. But even with premium models, expanding beyond
U.S. schools won't be easy.
Chromebooks get
schooled
For personal
computers and tablets, Chromebook's share of the U.S. education market was 49
percent last year, up from 40 percent in 2015 and 9 percent in 2013, according
to IDC figures released this week.
But education
accounts for just 14 percent of the 110 million devices shipped in the U.S.
last year - and Chromebooks make up just 9 percent of that broader total. Their
numbers are also low abroad, even in schools.
The Chromebook's
popularity in U.S. education is also largely limited to grades K-12, analysts
say. Macs and Windows laptops are still dominant on college campuses.
Rough start
Chromebooks use
a lightweight operating system designed to get people online faster, without
having to wait around for the computer to start up. Much of the heavy lifting
on Chromebooks gets done on Google's remote servers, so Chromebooks themselves
don't need fast chips or lots of storage.
Early on,
though, that made Chromebooks seem cheap and underpowered, which “soured
consumer expectations right off the bat,” IDC analyst Linn Huang said.
Online storage
for photos and documents online was much less common in 2011 when Chromebooks
launched, so their limited local storage was initially unappealing. And the few
apps available for Chromebooks didn't work offline, at least at the time.
Differing needs
But what
constrains consumers can actually be liberating in education. Most kids don't
need laptops on the bus or other locations where they can't connect to Wi-Fi.
And they don't miss business software like Microsoft Office; Google's online
apps for documents and spreadsheets do just fine for homework.
“What surprised
us was how quickly it took off in education,” said Kan Liu, who oversees
Chromebooks at Google.
Apple's iPad was
hot at the time, but Google sold the Chromebook on convenience. They're easier
for classrooms to share; just sign in with a Google account, and a student's
apps and documents instantly appear. Teachers also have online tools to lock
down what apps and sites students can use.
And with models
available for less than $200, schools can get a few Chromebooks for the price
of an iPad or a rival laptop.
“It allows us to
put more devices in students' hands,” said Aaron Slutsky, chief technology
officer for McDowell County Schools in North Carolina.
Far from
universal
But Chromebook's
success story in schools is largely an American one, and it's likely to stay
that way. Gartner analyst Mikako Kitagawa notes that Chromebooks are useless in
China because the device depends on Google services that aren't available
there. And in emerging countries, where a budget laptop would be ideal, she
said internet access isn't reliable enough.
Even in the
U.S., the iPad is better for many creative tasks such as recording and editing
movies. Students studying engineering, robotics and graphics won't be able to
use Chromebooks to run the kind of specialized software that's available for
Macs and Windows laptops.
“But that's not
needed for 98 percent of our students,” said Tracy Dabbs, coordinator of
technology and innovation at the Burlington-Edison School District near
Seattle.
Many school
districts limit Apple and Windows computers for the students who specifically
need them, then provide Chromebooks for the rest. McDowell County, for
instance, has 5,500 Chromebooks, 1,200 iPads - and only 100 Macs and 200
Windows PCs.
Rivals stage
comeback
Last year, Apple
gave iPads in schools some Chromebook-like features unavailable to the general
public. That includes ways to let multiple people use a single tablet and
management tools for tech-support staff. A new Classroom app lets teachers
control what apps students run and track their progress.
Apple also
provides classroom tools for teachers and students. Free e-books offer teachers
step-by-step guides on using iPad apps and curriculum suggestions for everyday
subjects. A separate app lets kids learn programming using the same language
developers use to build iPad apps.
Meanwhile,
Microsoft announced last month new online apps and management tools for
schools, along with Windows PCs priced similarly to Chromebooks.
Beyond schools
Huang said some
businesses are giving Chromebooks a second look, especially in retail, banking
and other settings where people share computers.
But in many
offices, the lack of business software such as Office is a major hurdle.
Google's alternative lacks many advanced capabilities found in Office, and
habits are hard to change.
Google is trying
to make Chromebooks more palatable by letting them run Android apps designed
for phones and tablets. It's testing this capability on a handful of Chromebook
models, including the new ones from Samsung. That makes it possible to install
Office, Adobe Photoshop and many apps on a Chromebook, though these tablet
versions have limited features compared with versions for Macs or Windows
laptops.
.jpg)
