Why do you need a computer? This is a serious question. I've asked a number of people over time and they give me all sorts of reasons. Some of them are obvious and others are dubious at best. Clearly, it's getting difficult to navigate modern America without access to some kind of computer. It's still possible, but that is changing.
Note that I'm not talking about needing a smartphone. The line between smartphone and computer has blurred considerably in the past few years. I personally use a phone more advanced and more powerful than thousands upon thousands of Americans' computers. I'm talking about an actual non-phone computer, be it a laptop or desktop.
So what are the reasons usually for needing a computer? This is a partial list of the most common ones. I tried to rank it in order of most mentioned to least mentioned but I make no promises.
- e-mail
- games
- social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.)
- work
- YouTube/online video
- online shopping
- paying bills
- banking
- Internet TV
- e-book reader
- writing/journaling
Those are the responses I get most of the time. There are others including the more forward types who answer with honesty and list "porn" as one of their main criteria. We can just leave that in the "online video" category and avoid it for now. However, those are the main ones.
Now, given that list, how many of those activities do not require an Internet connection? Basically just one: games. There are a lot of online games and MMOs that require Internet connections, but you can still buy a large number of games that you can play and enjoy without any Internet connection at all.
What does that mean then? Well, it could mean a lot of things, but one that stands out is that people generally need a computer for just one of three purposes:
- work
- Internet access
- games
Clearly, the work requirement is a big one and results in a lot of requirements for the type and power of computer you would need. For the sake of argument, let's set aside the work computer requirement for the moment and look at the other two.
Computer games have become increasingly complex and require hefty CPUs, graphics chips, and memory just to maintain decent frame rates. Note that we are not talking about games like Solitaire, Candy Crush, and Temple Run in this category of games. We're talking about major video game releases that tax even the most robust computers when running. So once again for the sake of argument, let's set aside the video game requirement.
What does that leave us with? Internet access.
So what are we talking about when it comes to using a computer for Internet access? Well, most of that original list. That's what we're talking about.
So do you need a computer? I would think that nearly everyone needs some kind of computer in this day and age. That could be a laptop, desktop, tablet, or smartphone. Whatever it is, you need one.
Now, I ask you again. Do you actually need a personal computer?
That depends on our tech skills and abilities. Are you comfortable using virtual keyboards on tablets and phones? Do you need simple portability? Do you need larger displays either because you need to see lots of stuff at once or your eyes are a little less than they used to be and you need to make things larger?
Consider all those things and if you decide you need a laptop or desktop computer or can you get by with a tablet or phone. If you need that personal computer, may I offer a suggestion? Keep it simple.
You see, most laptops and desktops these days run Windows of some kind. That means you are in a perpetual cycle of software updates, anti-virus updates, security updates, the inevitable virus infection, and your computer simply locking up. Mac users get that smug look off your face because you face the same things as well. Anti-virus software is needed on your Macs and yes, from several years of experience, I know that Macs can and will lock up or become corrupted.
Let's add to this the problem of how you back up your data. You see it's not a matter of if your computer's main storage (think hard disk) will become corrupted, it's a matter of when. It will eventually happen and you don't want to lose all those digital images you take simply because no one owns film cameras anymore. You also don't want to lose that family recipe for rum cake, that old email from a significant other, or your school thesis project.
Why have I set the stage as I have? What is my point?
It's simple really. If you need a personal computer and you are not a gamer and you need Internet access, you need a Chromebook.
What is a Chromebook you ask? It's simple. A Chromebook is a laptop of a different breed. Instead of Windows 10 or MacOS, Chromebooks run Google's Chrome OS which is based on the Linux operating system. These machines are designed to be used primarily while connected to the Internet, with most applications and documents living in the cloud. That being said, they continue to operate when not connected to the Internet and have local storage. However, the local aspect is secondary to the connected aspect.
What can you do with a Chromebook?
- e-mail
- social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.)
- YouTube/online video
- online shopping
- paying bills
- banking
- Internet TV
- e-book reader
- writing/journaling
Basically everything you would typically say you need a computer for except for work and games.
Also with a Chromebook, you never have to worry about updates, about anti-virus, about virus infections, or about disk crashes. If that wasn't cause enough to celebrate, here are most of the benefits given in the following list:
- very fast boot times, usually anywhere from 6 to 10 seconds
- automatic system updates without the impact of Windows updates taking tens of minutes
- immune to viruses because you can't modify the operating system on the machine
- access to the Internet via Chrome browser that always stays up to date
- can view and play all standard Internet document and file formats
- full suite of typical office tools including document publishing, spreadsheets, presentation generation, drawing, image manipulation, etc.
- everything is backed up to the cloud, it never loses data
- simple to use, simple to administer, simple to maintain
And finally, I saved what may be the best for last: price.
Chromebooks generally use fewer resources than traditional laptops and that means they can be made at a lower cost. That means you can buy them at a lower cost. That does not mean they skimp on the materials, parts, or workmanship. I have a Chromebook that cost about $500 that has an aluminum body, touchscreen, and the best keyboard I've ever used on any laptop with any operating system.
For comparison, a $500 traditional laptop is kind of on the lower end of the middle of the pack for traditional laptops. But for Chromebooks, $500 is on the expensive end of the spectrum and represents a high quality and high power laptop.
So, why did I write this?
I've been working on restoring some laptops lately and trying to help people get a computer to use when they don't have much money to spare. Because of that, I felt this is the kind of public service announcement people with modest incomes need. Everyone needs to understand that if you aren't a graphics artist, video editor, or music composer, you don't need a full priced traditional laptop.
Instead, you need a computer on the Internet. You need a Chromebook.
