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Fewer software choices mean limited options for hackers.
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But Chromebooks have now outsold both Windows and Mac laptops.Īlongside the bare-bones OS came a set of security features that, more than five years later, companies like Microsoft are still trying to catch up to.
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Back then, Chromebooks were slow to gain acceptance because of their closed ecosystem, which meant an inability to download programs from the internet. Google's laptop brand first debuted in 2010 as a stripped-down computer with the web browser as the main operating system. Robot."Įverywhere I went I'd see small groups of people carrying Chromebooks, and they'd tell me that when heading into unknown territory it was their travel device. Heading to my first security conference last year, I expected to see a tricked-out laptop running on a virtual machine with a private network and security USB keys sticking out - perhaps something out of a scene from " Mr. "I definitely feel like she is more safe on a Chromebook than a Windows laptop," he said.
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He not only uses a Chromebook, he also says he's comforted by the fact that his daughter has one in school. Take Jake Williams, the founder of Rendition Security. Security experts commonly recommend Chromebooks, whether it's for the relative who somehow always ends up with spyware toolbars or the researcher heading to a hackers' meetup.Īnd it's not about complicated encryption or security tricks - Chromebooks have gained popularity through a combination of affordability and simple but effective security. Thanks to the early focus on preventing cyberattacks, Chromebooks are also a hit with the security community. In fact, Chromebooks are so successful in the education world that on Tuesday, Apple held its latest iPad unveiling at Chicago's Lane Tech College Prep High School in an effort to re-establish its position in the area. Nearly three out of every five machines used in schools run the Chrome OS, according to researcher Futuresource Consulting. Nine years later, and Chromebooks are a smash success. There was hardly a peep when it came to security flaws. When Will Drewry and Kan Liu, two of Chrome OS's founding fathers, sent it to security researchers, the feedback was more about issues with the trackpad. Google's CR-48 was the first-ever Chromebook.
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