Why I Wouldn’t Buy A Chromebox in 2024

This is a very short review of an Acer Google Chromebox CXI3 because I found out very quickly why it was unusable for me.

Reasons why you might want a Google Chromebox

I purchased this computer for my mother to use because of its simple and bare-bones functionality. The web browser is literally the only app she uses on the desktop PC and I believed it could be a more secure way (albeit not private way) to browse the web. If the browser and the Google suite of apps are all you use, then yes it could be a nice computer at a cheap price. I went ahead with the purchase because I read that the computer could run any app in the Google Play store and there are times when I need to use her computer. I was disappointed with the results.

What’s good about the Acer Chromebox

This type of desktop could be a great solution to someone who is not familiar with computers and truly only needs to browse the web, watch some videos, and maybe make some lists or something. If you already have an android tablet, there can be a seamless transition between devices if you allow all the syncing to happen. The browser, photos, videos, documents, etc. will be treated the same way in both devices. The hardware seemed solid and everything seems to load pretty fast. I did not try to play any games. Being able to answer texts from your desktop is useful. There is a good dark theme.

Problems with the Chromebox

There were two minor annoyances immediately when trying to use this computer and then came the deal-breaker. Firstly, my sister sent me a photo from her iPhone and this is the message I got:

As you may have seen from the rest of the site, the majority of my computer use is on Linux computers. I did not have any trouble working with the files on Linux, although I’d never switch to that format because the scripting for JPG EXIF data did not work…

The second annoyance, which really was a problem, was that I formatted a micro SD card to use with the Chromebox and it didn’t work. Formatting disks is something I have done for well over 20 years. I chose the common xFAT format, because that’s how some of the portable drives I have bought came formatted. Did I get an error message telling me what a dope I was for choosing this format? Nope, I got a playful, childish message about my file being lost. This is a completely nonsensical response when formatting a drive no matter what I did wrong.

The worst surprise I got using Google Chrome OS

The reason I could never use this device as a desktop computer is that the claim that it can run “any app from the Google Play store” is a total farce. It is lying by omission. What they mean to say is that it can run an app from the Google Play store IN A REDUCED WINDOW INSIDE OF YOUR DESKTOP. You are given an option to be able to “allow resize” but each time it comes with a warning about how the app is made for mobile and who-knows-what could happen.

So that was the big surprise for me. Some gigantic technology company with a huge amount of resources thinks it can market a desktop computer that only plays apps in a window that covers fifty percent of the screen! I’m still in a little bit of disbelieve to tell you the truth. You really have to be drinking the Google Kool-Aid to be able to use this computer as a desktop replacement. As far as I can tell, it is this way with every app that is not a Google app.

Remarks

My first instinct is to shy away from Google and their problematic privacy history. It is still a headache to have to UNcheck all the “Share every keystroke with our servers” choices in the initial setup (search in the Settings — Privacy section if you missed them). Still, I would have done what I thought was best for my mom’s situation if there was actually a functioning desktop environment here. There is not.