Secure and inexpensive as long as you don't mind paying with your privacy.
I'm worried that this is going to be the compromise we're all forced to make in the future.
I'm worried that this is going to be the compromise we're all forced to make in the future.
In terms of usability I have to tip my hat to Google. ChromeOS is very easy to use so far. Probably until chromebook vendors start adding all sorts of their own shitty tools and accounts like Huawei has done with their phones.
There are obvious alternatives to ChromeOS that are just as secure and just as inexpensive (especially if you have some old hardware just laying around, or else you can just buy refurbished hardware - just about anything made in the last 10 years will do, if not more than that) - and not any less useful than a Chromebook. And they can be updated for as long as the hardware keeps going - they won't suddenly become "unsupported" after a mere five years.
You can easily imagine that in the future hardware manufacturers will remove the ability to install a 3rd party operating system. It's already essentially impossible on a locked-down Apple iOS appliance.