# This Chromebook is not what I thought it was **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 31, 2016, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-chromebook-is-not-what-i-thought-it-was/761403 "2016-07-31T19:43:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cg16](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@cg16](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cg16)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2016, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-chromebook-is-not-what-i-thought-it-was/761403/1 "2016-07-31T19:43:06Z")
Once I started using it I noticed I can’t use microsoft word to resumes or listen to music on Itunes. So I am looking to replace this laptop in a few months and wanted to get some suggestions on what brand laptop I should focus on like hp or toshiba Thanks ---
**Author:** ![raventhief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raventhief/32/4_2.png) [@raventhief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raventhief)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2016, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-chromebook-is-not-what-i-thought-it-was/761403/2 "2016-07-31T19:56:11Z")
I love my Chromebook, but no, it cannot be used to for Word or Itunes. GoogleDocss and GooglePlay, yes. It sounds like you purchased a Chromebook expecting it to be a Windows device, and it’s not. I have Linux running side by side with the Chrome OS, so it’s dual purpose for me. To answer your question, I like HPs and Asus, and I don’t like Toshibas or Dells. But it sounds like maybe some research is in order? ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2016, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-chromebook-is-not-what-i-thought-it-was/761403/3 "2016-07-31T20:04:42Z")
Instead of a Chromebook, which is a 'net device, you probably should have gotten a Surface Pro, which does run MS Office. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2016, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-chromebook-is-not-what-i-thought-it-was/761403/4 "2016-07-31T20:04:55Z")
You can do word with some minor finagling. > **[Open & edit Office files on your Chromebook - Chromebook Help](https://support.google.com/chromebook/answer/2481498?hl=en&visit_id=638180508881997314-2767878630&rd=1)** > > On your Chromebook, you can open, edit, download, and convert many Microsoft® Office files, such as Word, PowerPoint, or Excel files. > Important: Before you edit Office files, Same with your music collection > **[Play music on your Chromebook - Chromebook Help](https://support.google.com/chromebook/answer/183107?hl=en&visit_id=638180508897965822-3221271011&rd=1)** > > You can play music files and videos on your Chromebook or through the web.  > Play saved music files Sign in to your Chromebook. In the corner of your screen, select the Launcher You can get deals on lower spec’d HPs and Toshibas as low as 250ish any given week on sale at Staples and Best Buy after rebates. ---
**Author:** ![cg16](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@cg16](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cg16)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2016, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-chromebook-is-not-what-i-thought-it-was/761403/5 "2016-07-31T20:23:16Z")
> [@raventhief](#): > > I love my Chromebook, but no, it cannot be used to for Word or Itunes. GoogleDocss and GooglePlay, yes. It sounds like you purchased a Chromebook expecting it to be a Windows device, and it’s not. I have Linux running side by side with the Chrome OS, so it’s dual purpose for me. > To answer your question, I like HPs and Asus, and I don’t like Toshibas or Dells. But it sounds like maybe some research is in order? Yeah a lot of people seems to mention hp brand so I will do some research. And I tried Google Docs and didn’t like it too much so I decided to just use the MS office at my job. ---
**Author:** ![cg16](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@cg16](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cg16)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2016, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-chromebook-is-not-what-i-thought-it-was/761403/6 "2016-07-31T20:24:37Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > Instead of a Chromebook, which is a 'net device, you probably should have gotten a Surface Pro, which does run MS Office. Thanks, I just pulled a image of a surface pro and will add that to my list of decisions. ---
**Author:** ![cg16](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@cg16](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cg16)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2016, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-chromebook-is-not-what-i-thought-it-was/761403/7 "2016-07-31T20:26:23Z")
> [@astro](#): > > You can do word with some minor finagling. > > [Open & edit Office files on your Chromebook - Chromebook Help](https://support.google.com/chromebook/answer/3217755?hl=en) > > Same with your music collection > > [Play music on your Chromebook - Chromebook Help](https://support.google.com/chromebook/answer/3217385?hl=en) > > You can get deals on lower spec’d HPs and Toshibas as low as 250ish any given week on sale at Staples and Best Buy after rebates. I actually have done that with the music collection but I didn’t like it as much as itunes. Thanks for the tip ---
**Author:** ![TwoCarrotSnowman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/twocarrotsnowman/32/15879_2.png) [@TwoCarrotSnowman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwoCarrotSnowman)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2016, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-chromebook-is-not-what-i-thought-it-was/761403/8 "2016-08-01T09:42:01Z")
I’m a very satisfied user of a Chromebook, but it’s important to understand what they can and can’t do. I saw one reviewer describing this as seeing the doughnut and not the hole). For web-based tasks they’re great, but as you’ve discovered, you can’t install the same wide array of software as you can on Windows or Mac computers. The web-based version of Microsoft Office has a decent set of features. You don’t actually need to install the Chrome extension; if you have a Microsoft account, you can simply load the relevant web page and it will work. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![cg16](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@cg16](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cg16)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2016, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-chromebook-is-not-what-i-thought-it-was/761403/9 "2016-08-01T15:18:40Z")
> [@TwoCarrotSnowman](#): > > I’m a very satisfied user of a Chromebook, but it’s important to understand what they can and can’t do. I saw one reviewer describing this as seeing the doughnut and not the hole). > > For web-based tasks they’re great, but as you’ve discovered, you can’t install the same wide array of software as you can on Windows or Mac computers. > > The web-based version of Microsoft Office has a decent set of features. You don’t actually need to install the Chrome extension; if you have a Microsoft account, you can simply load the relevant web page and it will work. > Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Yes it does allow me to enjoy my time on the internet when it comes to chatting and music and videos but I just don’t think it has the qualities to be the main laptop for accessing the web. But it’s not like it’s so bad I need to buy a new laptop tomorrow just that I would like to upgrade in the future. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2016, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-chromebook-is-not-what-i-thought-it-was/761403/10 "2016-08-01T18:16:59Z")
Speaking of getting good deals, we’re just about into back-to-school sales. If you can’t find good deals already, just wait a couple of weeks before you buy. I’m not sure what to recommend, since we don’t have a lot of information about your needs or budget, but laptops that can handle basic office productivity tasks are dirt cheap these days - $500 would be a generous budget unless you need gaming or multimedia editing. ---
**Author:** ![spamforbrains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@spamforbrains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spamforbrains)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2016, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-chromebook-is-not-what-i-thought-it-was/761403/11 "2016-08-01T19:28:21Z")
> [@](#): > > but laptops that can handle basic office productivity tasks are dirt cheap these days - $500 would be a generous budget unless you need gaming or multimedia editing. are you joking? my laptop that runs Windows cost around $120. I mostly use my Chromebook for everything except Word and Excel. Love the thing. Never crashes, never suddenly updates itself without warning, fast, tiny, and highly portable. Really it’s only drawback is you can’t run Word and Excel on it but it’s word processing function actually works quite well for short simple documents. ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2016, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-chromebook-is-not-what-i-thought-it-was/761403/12 "2016-08-01T19:52:25Z")
I don’t think a chromebook can be beat for just farting around on the intenetz 😛 ---
**Author:** ![cg16](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@cg16](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cg16)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2016, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-chromebook-is-not-what-i-thought-it-was/761403/13 "2016-08-01T20:12:58Z")
> [@spamforbrains](#): > > are you joking? my laptop that runs Windows cost around $120. I mostly use my Chromebook for everything except Word and Excel. Love the thing. Never crashes, never suddenly updates itself without warning, fast, tiny, and highly portable. Really it’s only drawback is you can’t run Word and Excel on it but it’s word processing function actually works quite well for short simple documents. Don’t forget Itunes ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2016, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-chromebook-is-not-what-i-thought-it-was/761403/14 "2016-08-01T21:35:11Z")
Most of us try to forget iTunes on a daily basis ;). ---
**Author:** ![TwoCarrotSnowman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/twocarrotsnowman/32/15879_2.png) [@TwoCarrotSnowman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwoCarrotSnowman)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2016, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-chromebook-is-not-what-i-thought-it-was/761403/15 "2016-08-01T21:49:21Z")
> [@spamforbrains](#): > > are you joking? my laptop that runs Windows cost around $120. I mostly use my Chromebook for everything except Word and Excel. Love the thing. Never crashes, **never suddenly updates itself without warning** , fast, tiny, and highly portable. Really it’s only drawback is you can’t run Word and Excel on it but it’s word processing function actually works quite well for short simple documents. (Emphasis mine) Actually, unless you’ve messed with the settings somehow, your Chromebook does update itself all the time without asking. It just does it _right_. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![phall0106](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phall0106/32/5934_2.png) [@phall0106](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phall0106)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2016, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-chromebook-is-not-what-i-thought-it-was/761403/16 "2016-08-01T22:44:25Z")
I don’t have a recommendation, but wanted to say that I love my Chromebook. It’s getting old now and I fear it’s not much longer for this world. If I have it turned on for too long, everything freezes, then I get a black screen with thin little red lines and have to push the power button to restart it. Something tells me that’s not good. But, I’d get another Chromebook in a heartbeat. Love it for surfing the 'net and watching online TV and movies. ---
**Author:** ![cg16](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@cg16](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cg16)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2016, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-chromebook-is-not-what-i-thought-it-was/761403/17 "2016-08-01T23:08:37Z")
> [@phall0106](#): > > I don’t have a recommendation, but wanted to say that I love my Chromebook. It’s getting old now and I fear it’s not much longer for this world. If I have it turned on for too long, everything freezes, then I get a black screen with thin little red lines and have to push the power button to restart it. Something tells me that’s not good. But, I’d get another Chromebook in a heartbeat. Love it for surfing the 'net and watching online TV and movies. It’s definitely good for those 3 things you mentioned, surfing the web, watching videos, and TV/movies ---
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2016, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-chromebook-is-not-what-i-thought-it-was/761403/18 "2016-08-02T03:03:27Z")
> [@cg16](#): > > Don’t forget Itunes Since you actually like iTunes, you should also look into a MacBook Air or iPad. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2016, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-chromebook-is-not-what-i-thought-it-was/761403/19 "2016-08-02T04:20:14Z")
> [@zbuzz](#): > > Since you actually like iTunes, you should also look into a MacBook Air or iPad. Glad you like iTunes\*. But you’ll pay for it. Just got the wife a laptop, and paid that “Mac Tax”…ouch! But, she loves her MBPro, my daughter loves her New MacBook (with ONE port? You crazy, girl?) and I’m typing this on my decade-old MacBook that’s had zero issues. \*Wow, sometimes I feel like I’m the only one here – iTunes has “just plain worked” for our family (diverse ages/tastes/functions). Just this morning I had a friend ask “Want to grab breakfast? And hey, got any Alison Krauss?” and within ten minutes I’d made a Smart Playlist full of her live stuff, her gospel album and her album with Robert Plant. Burned it to a disk AND simultaneously printed out a cool cover for it (mosaic of the covers, listing all the tracks on the back). ---
**Author:** ![zwede](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ac91a4/32.png) [@zwede](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zwede)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2016, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-chromebook-is-not-what-i-thought-it-was/761403/20 "2016-08-02T13:30:54Z")
Install Linux on the ChromeBook and then use LibreOffice for your word documents. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-chromebook-is-not-what-i-thought-it-was/761403.md?page=2)