[paulpan]

I think it's a combination of all 3 reasons you listed. Overall people have realized that all they need is internet connectivity and a browser for 90%+ of their use cases. That remaining 10% is growing smaller by the year as applications move to the cloud rather than run locally - or can probably find a similar Linux app.

Another big selling point is that Chrome OS supports Android apps, e.g. you can download Netflix shows to watch offline, or just use the same apps that you have on your phone. This might be the dark horse as Windows ARM apps support is pathetic and MacOS now also supports running iOS apps.

That said I'm also skeptical on the prices for Chromebooks - for a similar spec-ed laptop, Chromebooks are strangely a bit more expensive than a Windows counterpart.

[stunt]

Also don't forget that many people had to buy cheap laptops on 2020 for kids and their online classes.