Did your company make the switch to Chrome OS devices in the last few years? You may have made the switch thinking that Google wouldn’t pull the rug out from under you like Microsoft does when it ends support for past versions of Windows. While it’s true that Chrome OS is an evolving platform with no end of life date, the hardware it runs on will one day stop being supported.
If you ever wanted to know when your Chromebook is going to become obsolete, look no further than Google’s Chrome OS End of Life Policy page. Each Chrome OS product currently available is listed with its End of Life date. After the date listed, the hardware will stop being officially supported by the Google Enterprise team.
Here’s the full list:
Google notes that the above list isn’t set in stone. End of Life dates can be pushed back if Google deems it necessary. You won’t have to worry about dates being pushed forward though as Google gives all Chrome OS devices four years of official support.
So, what happens to a device after the Google Enterprise team stops supporting it? For starters, it will no longer receive automatic software updates. It’s unknown if Google will allow admins to manually download the latest versions of Chrome OS. Even more pressing, however, is the fact device management through admit control will no longer work.
In short, you can keep on using your Chrome OS devices after their End of Life date. It just won’t be a pleasant experience. Just as those businesses who use Windows will have to upgrade to Windows 7 or 8 at some point this year, businesses using Chrome OS devices will have to buy all new devices every four years.
[h/t: Digital Trends] Image via Google