FEBRUARY 2020 • TECH ADVISOR 57Who should buy a Windows PC?
A notebook PC powered by Microsoft Windows
offers several advantages: Windows offers the most
flexibility to run just about any app, as well as the
choice of any browser you choose. You can tweak
and configure your laptop as you choose.
That convenience demands more computing
horsepower, and often a higher price compared
to most Chromebooks. Prices can soar into the
thousands of pounds, and if you need a powerful PC
for gaming or video editing, Chromebooks really don’t
offer that much competition.Who should buy a Chromebook?
A Chromebook powered by Google’s Chrome OS is
a simpler, more optimized affair, a locked-down PC
that’s little more than the Chrome browser – but it can
be hundreds of pounds cheaper than a comparable
Windows PC, too.
Updates occur behind the scenes, so you can just
open the lid and go. Google handles all the security,
too. The Internet offers much of what you’ll need,
whether it be working within web apps or Chrome plug-
ins. But it’s the workarounds and little inconveniences
that you may find annoying in the end.
There’s one more wrinkle: for years, there were
Chromebooks and... not much else. Now there are
Chrome OS-powered convertibles like the Chromebook
Flip, as well as Chrome OS-powered tablets like the
Google Pixel Slate. (Chromeboxes are a separate, niche
class of standalone Chrome OS-powered boxes that
lack a display.) Besides the obvious physical differences,FEBRUARY 2020 • TECH ADVISOR 57Who should buy a Windows PC?
A notebook PC powered by Microsoft Windows
offersseveraladvantages:Windowsoffersthemost
flexibilityto run just about any app, as well as the
choiceofanybrowseryouchoose.Youcantweak
andconfigure your laptop as you choose.
That convenience demands more computing
horsepower,andoftena higherpricecompared
tomostChromebooks.Pricescansoarintothe
thousandsof pounds, and if you need a powerful PC
for gaming or video editing, Chromebooks really don’t
offer that much competition.
Who should buy a Chromebook?
A Chromebook powered by Google’s Chrome OS is
a simpler, more optimized affair, a locked-down PC
that’s little more than the Chrome browser – but it can
be hundreds of pounds cheaper than a comparable
Windows PC, too.
Updates occur behind the scenes, so you can just
open the lid and go. Google handles all the security,
too. The Internet offers much of what you’ll need,
whether it be working within web apps or Chrome plug-
ins. But it’s the workarounds and little inconveniences
that you may find annoying in the end.
There’s one more wrinkle: for years, there were
Chromebooks and... not much else. Now there are
Chrome OS-powered convertibles like the Chromebook
Flip, as well as Chrome OS-powered tablets like the
Google Pixel Slate. (Chromeboxes are a separate, niche
class of standalone Chrome OS-powered boxes that
lack a display.) Besides the obvious physical differences,