Samsung's Chromebook laptops will now get faster software updates. Google has announced that it will release monthly software updates to Chrome OS-based laptops to match the frequency of updates to the Chrome web browser. The internet search giant will also allow businesses to stay on a stable update version for much longer than earlier.
Google mentioned on the Chromium Blog that it would switch to a monthly software update schedule for Chrome OS laptops starting with the release of the Chrome OS 96 version in November 2021. The company will skip the Chrome OS 95 version and jump straight to Chrome OS 96 version. The internet search giant will also allow businesses and schools to stay on a stable channel of Chrome OS for much longer (six months) than earlier.
Marina Kazatcker, Chrome OS Release TPM Lead, said, “To deliver new features more rapidly to consumers while also continuing to prioritize the key pillars of Chrome OS – security, stability, speed, and simplicity – Chrome OS will move to a 4-week stable channel starting with M96 in Q4.”
Demand for Chromebooks exploded after the COVID-19 pandemic and increased remote working and remote learning trends. Year-over-year sales of Chrome OS-based laptops grew a whopping 357.1% in Q1 2021. Samsung's growth in the segment was even higher at 496%. The firm shipped a million Chromebooks during the quarter, but it is still far away from the current market leader HP that shipped 4.4 million Chromebooks.
Samsung's latest Chromebook, the Galaxy Chromebook 2, received praise for its price-to-performance ratio. The company could launch more Chrome OS-based laptops in the future.
