Chrome OS Flex, a new version of Chrome OS designed for businesses and schools to install and run on old PCs and Macs, was released today by Google. Google began testing Chrome OS Flex in an early access preview earlier this year, and the company has now resolved 600 bugs in order to roll out Flex to businesses and schools today.
Chrome OS Flex is primarily intended for businesses that use old Windows PCs, as Google has tested and verified devices from Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, LG, Toshiba, and many other OEMs. Flex will even run on some older Macs, including some MacBooks from ten years ago.
The support for old hardware is a major selling point for Chrome OS Flex, as it eliminates the need for businesses to replace existing hardware in order to get the latest modern operating system. More than 400 devices have been certified to work, and installing Chrome OS Flex is as simple as inserting a USB drive.
Google’s acquisition of Neverware, which previously sold an application called CloudReady that allowed users to convert old PCs into Chrome OS systems, made Chrome OS Flex possible. It comes less than a year after Microsoft released Windows 11, which has stringent hardware requirements that will force millions of older PCs to upgrade.
Chrome OS Flex is aimed at businesses and schools that want to modernize and simplify their IT infrastructure, as well as improve security and manageability. It’s also a good flex for environmentally conscious businesses, allowing some to reduce e-waste and energy consumption.
The biggest draw, however, will most likely be Chrome OS Flex as a solution to the growing ransomware threat, particularly for businesses that have been hit and are willing to switch away from Windows. Chrome OS is far more secure than Windows, making hacking much more difficult.
Not all businesses and schools will be able to easily transition to Chrome OS Flex, especially if they rely on existing Windows apps and systems designed for Windows. Virtualization software such as Cameyo certainly helps, but Microsoft has dominated PCs for more than 30 years, so there are deep-rooted dependencies that virtualization alone cannot always solve. Relying solely on a cloud-powered OS has its drawbacks, as we saw last year with two bad Chrome OS updates that locked some people out of their Chromebooks and caused performance problems for others.
