When I found out that Google plans to retire most Chromebooks after just five years, my thoughts raced to the-Samsung’s Series 5 550 I bought four years ago. By Google's clock, this computer has a year left to live. I couldn't believe it'd all end so soon. I wouldn't believe.
I bought the Series 5 550-while hopped up on the idea that all I needed from a computer was a web browser. At $450, it was pricey compared to what Chromebooks cost today, but fairly cheap for a laptop at the time. And while it wasn’t a Windows PC—like all Chromebooks, it can’t run desktop software—it compensated in other ways. It had a generously sized trackpad, for instance, and the same kind of island-style keys you’d find on a MacBook. Its speakers were surprisingly rich. The display had a 16:10 aspect ratio that showed more webpage (vertically) than your average widescreen laptop.
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