Updates through June 2029, you’ll have 7 more years of updates remaining (out of six years) which is GREAT for what Woot sells. After that date, no security updates / bug fixes / etc will be released for this device. ALL Chrome based devices have a limited ‘shelf life’ as, “All Chrome OS devices now receive regular upgrades for a minimum of six and a half years from when their chipset first appeared on the platform”
Screen resolution isn’t the greatest, and even though this isn’t an expensive device we’re at the point where a 1080p screen is NOT an expensive part to manufacture.
Woot Staff: The End Of Life date should be at the top of the specs; it’s the single most important spec when buying a Chromebook/box ESPECIALLY considering Chrome based devices have a limited update lifetime (6 years from the first date of manufacture). I see the information in blue in the specs and while that’s a start, the information is still at the bottom of the specs.
This is an excellent analysis. You’re absolutely right about Chromebooks having a limited shelf life, but it’s still getting way more software support than most iPads, iPhones, or Android phones or tablets.
And now you can revive these products, by using flex (or installing Linux in the case of many Chromebooks). It’s a relatively new feature but there’s a way to install a version of Chrome OS on unsupported laptops. So if anyone is interested in extending the life of an otherwise unsupported laptop, it’s probably worth doing some research on this.
I mean consider the 20/20 iPad pro which was being sold brand new on Apple’s website less than a year ago. With a high storage variant and accessories there are people that forked over almost $2,000 for that and now less than 2 years later they’re not even getting stage manager, or most of the relevant features from iPad OS 16.
I find it interesting how much people give Chromebooks a hard time for having a limited shelf life. And yet Apple is usually given credit for having such amazing long-term software support.
$118 and getting support through 2029 is I think an amazing deal. By the time you’re at that point, the battery, and storage bottlenecks are more likely to be what makes the device unusable anyways.
But I do absolutely agree, for any consumer electronic product at the end of life should be posted in a very visible spot. Especially for relatively casual, low information consumers that just want a functioning computer.
But the existence of flex should help extend the life of a lot of these products. I think that what we use mostly for schools, to try to have a more environmental friendly and inexpensive way to get large amounts of devices going .
I also agree that a 780p screen is a little disappointing at any price.
I’ve actually been in the market for a super low-cost laptop just bcmy primary device is 2-in-1 with a detachable keyboard and they’re not very convenient to use in bed or on a couch for typing. that would be pretty much my only use case for it… Typing word documents and doing some limited browser on my lap or my couch before I go to bed. Basically just need a decent keyboard and for the device to work.
This is compelling but it might be jarring to go from my 4K TV or my 1440p phone and tablets to a 720p resolution or whatever.
But a touchscreen and a 2-in-1 convertible type form factor, and support through 2029 is pretty compelling.
I previously bought a version of this Chromebook and found, like many others, that when all of the updates were downloaded and installed that the touchscreen no longer functioned. Has that issue been addressed? Lenovo’s previous response was to return the device. The main reason to buy this form factor is the tablet mode which makes a functional touchscreen essential.