Yep, Chromebooks are super boring right now

It wasn’t that long ago that it felt like any given day could be the day I found some new, mind-boggling feature or piece of hardware in the Chromebook and ChromeOS space. From uncovering upgraded screens, new keyboard keys, fun new features, future-proof internal hardware, brand-new form factors and devices made by Google, Chromebooks were a constantly-evolving product category that felt unending in their ability to surprise and develop.

Stalled-out innovation

But that was a few years ago. Fast forward to today and the story is far different. Our devices are holistically better, sure, but the rapid (and necessary) pace of development hasn’t only slowed: it has nearly halted across the board. Apart from a couple new devices this year with the excellent and efficient MediaTek Kompanio Ultra inside, there’s been little to no surprise with Chromebooks or ChromeOS to speak of.

Instead, much of the newness we’re seeing – like in all facets of the tech world right now – comes back to AI. And as a formative, groundbreaking technology, I totally get that. I think an opportunity was missed by Google to really lean all the way into making Chromebooks the best possible vehicle for AI in every facet of the UI; but as we all know, the pending move to merge ChromeOS and Android looms heavy over that conversation both now and likely has for the past couple of years as well.

The past handful of ChromeOS updates have not just been light on new features – they have largely been completely devoid of them. Again, with the move to whatever this new Android/ChromeOS thing will look like, I totally understand the team not really wanting to put tons of effort into what has become a relatively-mature operating system in ChromeOS.

The good old days

I guess the truth is, I miss the days of rapid growth. I miss there always being the next-best Chromebook on the horizon. I miss this OS that I love getting new features, new abilities, and new hardware to show it off on. I miss waiting for ChromeOS to grow into a mainstream OS that people like me find great utility in and choose to use pretty much exclusively on a day-to-day basis. I miss the old days.

But that doesn’t take away from my hope for what is to come. I don’t know what Chromebooks are going to look like a year from now. I don’t know what Google is going to call it or how they are going to position this new OS. I don’t know if Chromebooks as they are now will continue to be manufactured or if the new Android/ChromeOS merger will completely take their place.

The space between

So it’s ultimately a weird limbo we find ourselves in, and I’m trying to remain highly optimistic about what this merger could mean. In the best-case scenario, Google ends up making laptops that finally bridge the gap we’ve all been asking for – bringing mobile applications and desktop functionality together in a way that’s never happened before. It could finally mean we get nice tablets that can be 100% used as a consumption/viewing/gaming device and docked to be 100% used as a work device without caveat.

But it very well might mean the end of an era (in the consumer space, at least) for ChromeOS, Chromebooks, and a device category I’ve spent well over a decade following with anticipation, wonder, and hope. And that part of it makes me pretty sad. Better tech for consumers is always what I want, and if that means Android is the right vehicle for that to happen in the laptop/tablet/convertible category, then so be it.

And if it means Chromebooks are a bit boring for the time being, I suppose that’s OK, too. Some really cool stuff is coming, for sure, but it’s been a hell of a ride watching ChromeOS go from just a browser to what it is today. Where it goes from here will be quite the adventure – of that I feel pretty certain.