This is the best summary I could come up with:
The move follows increasing criticism from consumers, schools, and advocacy groups around the many Chromebooks in use and on sale with looming death dates.
Chromebooks are unique in individual models having automatic update expiration (AUE) dates and have faced criticism for this for years.
By including interviews with repair techs, repair activists, and US school districts that helped surge Chromebook sales during the COVID-19 pandemic, PIRG's scathing report detailed concerns with Chromebook AUEs, including views that they were "arbitrary" and "aggressive."
However, Google has previously said that AUE dates aren't easy to change because the dates "depend on many device specific, non-Google hardware and software providers that work with Google to provide the highest level of security and stability support," which is why "older Chrome devices cannot receive updates indefinitely to enable new OS and browser features."
For example, Washington's South Kitsap School District in January said it expected to spend at least $2.8 million to replace 9,483 Chromebooks in 2026.
Google and other tech companies should continue to innovate ways to commit to a circular economy and stop pressuring us to replace our phones and laptops.
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