Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Chromebooks that have crossed their update lifecycle continue to be on sale on platforms.
- Consumers buying these Chromebooks will not receive any further security or platform updates.
Chromebooks are great for what they are: inexpensive laptops that rely on cloud-oriented Chrome OS to get the job done. So if you spot a Chromebook on sale, you should definitely buy it, right? Wrong. It turns out, some old Chromebooks are still on sale on various platforms without necessary disclaimers on their end-of-life status, making you pay money for what is practically e-waste.
The US Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) (via ArsTechnica) pointed out how end-of-life Chromebooks are still sold on various marketplace platforms, like Amazon, Walmart, and possibly others, in new and unused conditions. These include devices like the ASUS Chromebook Flip C302, which was launched in 2018 and reached its Automatic Update Expiration (AUE) date on June 1, 2023. This means the laptop will no longer receive any security or platform updates for its Chrome OS from Google.
As of writing this article, we can confirm that the Chromebook Flip C302 can be purchased from Amazon for $550 and from Walmart for $820.
Other Chromebooks and Chromebook tablets have reached their Auto-Update Expiration on June 1, 2023, and August 1, 2023. Here is the full list:
- June 1, 2023:
- Acer Chromebook 11 (C771, C771T)
- Acer Chromebook 14 for Work (CP5-471)
- ASUS Chromebook Flip C302
- Dell Chromebook 13 (3380)
- HP Chromebook 13 G1
- Lenovo ThinkPad 13
- Samsung Chromebook Pro
- August 1, 2023:
- Acer Chromebook Tab 10 (D651N)
- AOpn Chromebook Commercial Tab
- ASUS Chromebook Tablet CT100
- ASUS Chromebook Flip C101PA
- CTL Chromebook Tablet Tx1 for Education
- Samsung Chromebook Plus
Needless to say, you shouldn’t be buying any of these laptops and tablets at any price. While the Chromebook will continue to function technically, students can’t use them as these expired laptops often cannot access secure websites like the ones used for exams.
Marketplace platforms like Amazon and Walmart share the blame here as they do not prominently display the End-of-Life status of these computers. Many consumers will buy these without realizing the purchased product will not receive further software updates.
We’ve reached out to Amazon for comment.
