A Chromebook is a laptop of a different breed. Instead of Windows 10 or Mac OS X, Chromebooks run Google's Chrome OS. These machines are designed to be used primarily while connected to the Internet, with most applications and documents living in the cloud. As a result, these clamshells don't have a ton of onboard storage, but they don't have very large price tags, either.
Low prices, long battery life and Windows 10 confusion have many people considering a Chromebook. In fact, according to the NPD research firm, Chromebook sales topped Windows notebook sales during the early summer of 2015. But is a Chromebook right for you? As PC manufacturers release Windows 10 notebooks priced to compete with Chromebooks, are there any that stack up? Should you buy a different Chromebook just to use the Android apps coming soon? And how do you pick the best model for your needs and budget? Our Chromebook buying guide has the answers to these and other questions.
Should I Buy a Chromebook?
Because Chromebooks run Chrome OS, Google's operating system, they rely heavily on Google's suite of applications and a working Internet connection. Although you can log in to Chrome OS as a guest, to have the best experience, users should log in to the system with Google credentials.
Apps
Chromebooks are optimized for Google's apps, such as Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Drive. This deep integration can be either positive or negative, depending on how you use a PC. Getting set up on a Chromebook will be easy if you already use Google's services for your email, calendar and documents. However, if you use other popular services — such as Microsoft Outlook, AIM or Yahoo Mail — it might take some time to get adjusted to Google's OS.
Unfortunately, popular software applications, such as Adobe Photoshop and the Microsoft Office suite, aren't available on Chromebooks. However, you can still get work done on these machines: Microsoft Office Online, the free cloud version of Office, is available as a series of apps for Chromebooks, and you can always use the native Google Drive to open and edit documents and spreadsheets.
With Google Drive, users can create everything from text documents to spreadsheets and presentations. Plus, all of your old Microsoft Word documents and PowerPoint presentations can be imported directly into Drive, allowing you to work on your files. On the other hand, there are many photo editors available for Chrome OS, including the open-source GIMP image editor. But Photoshop users are out of luck — there is no Chrome OS app that can edit Adobe's .PSD files. It may be best to stick with Microsoft Office Online if you already have a lot of Office files that you're bringing over to your Chromebook. There are often formatting issues when importing third-party documents into Drive. Fortunately, Google Drive allows you to save documents to Microsoft formats, so you'll still be able to share files with non-Chromebook users. If those limitations concern you, give Chrome OS some time. Starting later this year, certain Chromebooks will gain access to the millions of Android applications sold on the Google Play store . Not only does this mean Chromebooks will get a ton of games, but messaging and productivity options will also expand.
Offline Use
Chromebooks are designed to rely heavily on the Internet, which means that many apps simply won't work if you're out of Wi-Fi range. There are more than 200 offline Chrome apps that can work without Internet connectivity, including Gmail, Pocket and Google Drive, and tons of the Android apps coming soon will also work offline.
Games
You'll still be able to play games on the Chromebook, but you'll be limited to the titles available in the Chrome Web Store. Classic casual games like Bejeweled and Cut the Rope are there, but you won't have the same title selection as you would on a Windows machine or a Mac. Expect more casual titles when Android support arrives, as Temple Run 2, Monument Valley and Asphalt 8 will then become available to Chrome OS users.
Chromebooks generally have limited graphics processing power, so even if a game such as Metro: Last Light were available, it would not play smoothly on a Chromebook.
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