> I have a hard time thinking of a Chromebook as a "desktop" PC.

A Chromebox is a desktop PC. And ChromeOS devices can run a full Debian Linux distro in a VM. What's not desktop about that?

Smartphones can run a full Debian Linux distro in a VM too, but that doesn't make them desktop PCs.

Ok. It sits on a desktop, has an external monitor and keyboard and mouse, and let's you run general purpose computing tasks, like compiling a C++ program. You can even plug in a USB printer and scanner. You can get them with 16G of RAM and i7 CPUs. You can put them in dev mode, wipe the OS, and install any Linux distro of your liking. Is that a desktop computer?

Or is the definition of desktop computer that it can, say, run Adobe Photoshop natively?

Phones can do most of the things you listed.

So a "desktop PC" isn't about its feature set or where you might put it, instead it is a form factor.

NUCs, Mac Studios and Chromeboxes all have the same form factor. I believe there are All-in-one desktop Chromeboxes as well. The exclusion of desktops running ChromeOS from the desktop category is weird - especially considering they are capable of running Debian Bullseye VMs out of the box (x64 or ARM)

>Or is the definition of desktop computer that it can, say, run Adobe Photoshop natively?

My point is that the Chromebook is a mobile device: it's tiny and easy to carry around. So why is it not in the "mobility" category? And for that matter, why is every laptop computer not in this category? When did "mobile" somehow become equal to "something you can carry in one hand while also operating it"? The entire point of laptops was that they're mobile. These days, not that many people use "desktop PCs", outside of corporate offices, they use "mobile devices" (i.e. laptops).

And where do tablets fall? You can prop them up on a desk and attach a keyboard, and they act just like a laptop (you can also connect external screens etc.).

As I said before, their categories are stupid.

Here is a ChromeOS computer, that by your definition, is a "desktop":

https://www.hp.com/us-en/chrome/chromebase-all-in-one-deskto...

To the original point, it sleeps perfectly.

Oops, the bit about it sleeping perfectly was context leakage from another thread ;)

Chromebooks and other laptops would be in the "mobility" category. I'm pretty sure smartphones aren't counted anywhere, although things like the ipad may count in "mobility" as well.