This article is not about any of the "normal" topics of this newsletter: genealogy, history, current affairs, DNA, and related topics. However, I have frequently written about the many advantages of Chromebooks. This article is about one (new) advantage:

If you want to keep using your Chromebook for as long as possible, Google has some news you’ll want to hear. The company is making a few changes that will help your Chromebook last a little longer.

Google’s Chrome OS team announced it is upping Chrome OS commitments. Currently, Chromebooks get regular automatic updates every four weeks for eight years. These updates include security and stability improvements as well as new features. But starting in 2024, any Chromebook released after 2021 will now get ten years of regular automatic updates.

Owners who have Chromebooks that were released before 2021 aren’t being left out, either. Google says those older Chromebooks will be offered the option to extend automatic updates to ten years after they receive their last update.

Another interesting part of the announcement is the mention of incoming energy-efficient features. In the coming months, Google will begin rolling out an adaptive charging feature to Chromebooks.