Should you buy a Chromebook?

I like the concept of Chromebooks: simple, uncluttered, always up to date, affordable, and easy to use. Unfortunately, there are a lot of trade-offs! I recently bought a Microsoft Surface Book, although my original goal was to get a Chromebook. I primarily use my laptop for podcasting, web design, and graphic design. Still, for me, it was next to impossible trying to justify purchasing a Chromebook suitable for any serious work. I wanted a 2-in-1 with pen input, and I was willing to give up the Adobe suite of products if I could find suitable alternatives.

My conclusion is this, even if you love your Pixel phone and all that is Google, you will not love trying to be productive on a machine that is not designed for working professionals. It doesn’t have any of the mainstream app professionals use to do real work. If you want one as a writing, web surfing secondary device, go for it; just don’t pay more than $600 for one!

Written by Charles.D.