In a new blog post published today on the Google for Education blog, Google says it is launching a repairable program to help schools repair Chromebooks in-house and turn them into a valuable training opportunity for students looking to enter the IT field.
Google says that more than 50 million students and educators around the world are using Chromebooks today, and the longevity and sustainability of these Chromebooks can be further extended with high efficiency and additional durability. According to a survey Google commissioned from other agencies, its manufacturer partners make hardware that uses 46 percent less energy than competitors’ products.
The blog post, written by John Solomon, VP of Chrome OS, states: Working closely with our partners, Chromebook components are interchangeable, reusable, and safe to throw away.
Another blog post by Chrome OS product manager Racha Slaoui highlights the “newline” of Chromebooks curated to an education-focused website to help school IT departments choose the right Chromebook.
Many of the models presented are not very new: the Acer Chromebook Spin 713 came out last year, and the HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook is a slight update to its Windows version.
On the software side, these models should have eight years of Chrome OS security updates as long as they’re new — but the manufacturer is still responsible for how the hardware is overall supported, including what happens to the warranty when it’s self-repairing.
Before you make the decision to repair yourself, contact your device manufacturer to find out how your warranty might be affected. Some device manufacturers can offer rigorous repair training to protect your warranty, while others may recommend only self-repairing out-of-warranty devices.