A new report published by the US Public Interest Research Group (USPIRG), a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization, warns that Chromebooks purchased in bulk by US schools at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic are starting to break down, potentially leading to e-waste and additional costs for institutions. Document titled “Chromebook churn“, shows that the difficulty in finding repair parts, especially for screens, hinges and keyboards, exacerbates the problem.

According to the USPIRG, many of these machines begin to fail as early as three years after purchase, which can be a significant cost to school districts. According to the organization,Doubling the life of a Chromebook could save taxpayers $1.8 billion“In addition, extending the life of these devices could reduce CO2 emissions by 4.6 million tons.

However, the difficulty of finding replacement parts for Chromebooks is making repairs more difficult and expensive, which could prompt school districts to switch to other computer options. According to the report, many replacement parts, such as keyboards, are out of stock, and those in stock can cost nearly half the price of a new Chromebook.

The short lifespan of Chromebooks also makes devices harder to resell, meaning some schools have to pay extra to recycle them. The USPIRG recommends that Google, the manufacturer of these devices, make it easy to disable remote control of these computers and install remote operating systems such as Linux to make resale more attractive.

As such, the report highlights the need for Google and its OEM partners to maintain a minimum inventory of 10% spare parts to facilitate Chromebook repairs, as well as to standardize components across all device models. The organization also recommends that Google remove the automatic update expiration system, which is considered as one of the factors leading to a shortened device life.

Google is on the defensive

In a comment to The Verge, Google spokesman Peter Du defended himself against the accusation, saying the company is constantly working to improve hardware support.

“We’re working hard with our hardware partners to increase the number of years of warranty support Chromebooks receive, and we’re providing eight years of automatic updates from 2020, up from five years in 2016. We also always work with our device manufacturers. partners to create more and more devices from recycled and post-consumer certified materials that are more repairable and use manufacturing processes that reduce emissions over time.

Regular Chromebook software updates add new features and improve device security every four weeks, allowing us to continually improve the software experience, ensuring older devices continue to operate safely and reliably until their hardware limitations make releasing updates extremely difficult. .“

Mundo Conectado Deal Center: Selection of Discounts and Lowest Prices
Best deals on electronics, cell phones, TVs, soundbars, drones and more

Source: Edge

…..