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BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — When it comes to the cost effectiveness for student-issued laptops intended for remote learning, a new report says states, including Massachusetts, are getting the short end of the stick with Google Chromebooks and their lifespans.
Lucas Gutterman of the United States Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) tells WBZ's Mike Macklin that school districts have piles of expired Chromebooks following their pandemic-era deployment.
"Chromebooks are not designed to last, schools have purchased lots of Chromebooks in the switch to remote learning at the start of the pandemic, but these laptops are now starting to fail. Because while we expect milk to go bad— it turns out Chromebooks have expiration dates as well," Gutterman said.
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According to the PIRG report, Massachusetts could save around $34 million (assuming no additional maintenance costs) and cut down Carbon Dioxide emissions should the lifespan of Chromebooks be doubled from four years to eight. The report goes on to allege that each Chromebook has a built-in 'death date,' after which users will need to physically buy a newer model to continue receiving software or update support.
"This means that consumers or schools can buy a used or refurbished Chromebook thinking they’re getting a great deal, only to be surprised when their new laptop expires after a year," the report reads.
When a Chromebook shorts out, it's not an easy fix either. According to Gutterman, popular and newer models often times include arbitrary parts that are difficult to find on the market, and in turn, make for a difficult repair process.
"Google should take seriously their commitment to our schools and the environment, if every student is going to get a laptop and Google is going to provide hundreds of millions of laptops across the country, they should put our schools and environment first and design them to last. They should extend the life of Chrome OS, the software that runs on Chromebooks, so that they last ten years after the launch of the device. We also think that Google should be working with its manufacturers to make sure the hardware has a long lifespan as well— fixable components and replaceable parts," Gutterman said.
The report says sales of Chromebooks in 2020 were 287 percent higher than in 2019.
WBZ's Mike Macklin reports.
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