Districts around the country have been switching to Google’s Chromebook laptops at a rapid pace. The machines running the relatively new operating system went from zero market share to becoming a leader in the education space in a very short time.

That makes sense because at face value Chromebooks are very enticing. They cost less than traditional Windows-based machines and dramatically less than Apple Mac computers. They also have very few moving parts making them easier to maintain and harder to break. Even their biggest limitation – the fact that they only run a limited suite of Google-provided software – can seem like a positive in a school setting.

Mostly though, it has been the sub-$200 price that has led to schools adopting Chromebooks and while that seems like a good deal, buying the Google laptops for your school is likely a mistake.

Chromebooks are limited

While they look like laptops, Chromebooks are much more limited than a traditional PC or Mac. Essentially they are a device which can use the Internet and run Google’s suite of Office knockoff apps. That does allow students to use a word processor and make spreadsheets, along with the ability to use the Internet, but the usefulness ends there.

You can’t use the vast majority of software on a Chromebook. If something new comes out that you would like your students to have, it won’t work. Even if the manufacturer gifts a new piece of software to your school it will be as useless as a DVD in a VHS machine.

Schools should prepare students

Chromebooks have made a mark in the education market, but have not made a dent in the business world. Teaching your students how to work on a PC or even a Mac prepares them for what they will experience outside of the school setting. Teaching them how to use a Chromebook is like showing them how to ride a bike and then handing over the keys to a pickup truck.

Price is less of a factor

When Chromebooks were first launched their sub-$200 price tag made them very appealing. At the time, it was hard to buy a Windows laptop for under $350, so essentially buying the Google machines was a two for one deal. That however has changed as Microsoft has aggressively pushed its OEM partners to produce cheaper Windows laptops.

Now, Sub-$250 Windows machines are common and $199 ones are not unheard of.

It’s about the long-term

Chromebooks are a niche product meant to fill the needs of people who want the laptop form factor, but don’t want to spend a lot of money. With the price barrier removed there is no reason for a school to go in this direction.

Yes, it’s a little easier to maintain a fleet of Chromebooks and their limitations makes it easier to police what students are using them for, but it’s too much of a tradeoff. Schools need to prepare students for life after graduation and using pretend laptops won’t do that.