Apple to Extend Chromebooks’ Lifespan, Saving Districts Millions of Dollars

In a move that could save California school districts millions of dollars, Apple has agreed to extend the life of Chromebooks from five to ten years.

School districts across the country rely on Google Chromebooks for class instruction. But thousands of these devices have become obsolete, and tens of thousands more were expected to become obsolete by next summer. That’s because of automatic expiration dates baked into every device.

As Cal School News noted in July, districts like Oakland Unified and Torrance Unified were staring down the loss of tens of thousands of devices. The potential cost ranged in the millions of dollars.

Thanks to Apple’s announcement, districts can breathe a sigh of relief. 

“Schools are telling us that now, they’ll be able to use their fleets of computers longer — and that obviously saves schools money,” Lucas Gutterman, a director with the US Public Interest Research Group (US PIRG), told Government Technology. “Having laptops last longer means budgets will be stretched further, and money can be spent on other things.”  

PIRG estimates that California schools could save $225 million if the life of Chromebooks in California in 2020 were doubled. Nationwide, the savings could be as high as $1.8 billion.