As a student at Oakton, you have likely become jealous of the hand full of students in your classes that whip out their shiny new MacBooks in class each day. As you wait for your sluggish Dell to boot up, the MacBook is up and running on the desk next to you getting the job done ages before you have even launched Chrome on the school laptop. The MacBook does a lot right, especially if you are an iPhone user that uses iMessage and the iCloud, but the one key box that no MacBook can check is affordability. With the cheapest MacBook starting at a price of $1,000 most students looking to purchase a laptop must shop somewhere other than the Apple store, so what are your options?

 I was in the same situation I just portrayed in the paragraph above about a month ago when I began researching what device I should purchase. After ruling out MacOS I began looking into other operating systems and found my options were quite limited. Like many others the experience I’ve had with Windows has been abysmal, I have never been fond of the design in Windows or its long boot times. I knew I couldn’t handle Windows as my daily driver and that MacOS was far too expensive so I was in a lose lose situation until I discovered Chrome OS.

 I am currently writing this on the Samsung Chromebook Plus: A $430, 2-in-1 Chromebook, that runs Chrome OS. You’ve probably never heard of Chrome OS, or the hardware that it runs on called Chromebooks, but sometimes the most unknown things are the best things and this is certainly one of those times. Chrome OS is a software that made my Google much like Android in that the software is available to any hardware developers that want it. The Chromebook I have is a 2-in-1 made by Samsung, but Chrome OS runs on so many different companies hardware that the market is saturated with options depending on your needs. I chose the Samsung hardware because of its portable size and 360 degree hinge but the software is why I really wanted a Chromebook.

 Chrome OS software is ultra light. It may seem limiting when I say that the software does only two things well but once you seriously consider moving to a ChromeBook you realize how much you do in just a browser and a couple of apps. The software runs the Chrome browser and Android apps better than any other machine on the market without doing much else besides that. When I began seriously considering the switch from other mainstream software like Windows I realized that all I really use on any computer is the Chrome browser and a hand full of programs that could be easily replaced with Android apps on the ChromeBook.

 Now that I’ve made the switch to a Chromebook I am in love with this machine. Any student at Oakton not in need of running professional software would love a Chromebook and all of its simplicity. The efficiency of the solid state hardware works in tandem with the Chrome OS software to provide a smooth experience doing that Chromebooks do best, running apps and browsing the web. I can’t recommend a Chromebook enough for any student looking for a productivity device during the week and entertainment hub on the weekends. Here is a link to find the Chromebook hardware for you.