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Google has announced Chrome OS Flex, an operating system identical to Chrome OS but intended for aging computers sold under Windows or macOS. Chrome OS Flex is already available and fully compatible with a handful of computers.
Formerly reserved for Chromebooks, Google would like more products to benefit from the Chrome OS experience, namely an operating system entirely focused on Google tools and its Chrome browser.
To achieve this, Google wants to extend the life of our computers with a version called Chrome OS Flex, installable on any PC or Mac (Intel). For this, Google relies on CloudReady technology acquired in 2020, a simple USB key to install or test Chrome OS.
Chrome OS Flex is currently available in early access so you can test the operating system on your PC or Mac. A list of compatible devices has been released by Google to know whether your PC is fully supported or not. The list is currently quite limited.
As of today, support for the Google Play Store and Android apps is not planned in Chrome OS Flex, but Google isn’t quite closing the door on possible support later.
Enterprises and the world of education are in the sights of Google, since the same administration tools as Chrome OS are available in Chrome OS Flex. This makes it possible to quickly deploy the latter on even an aging fleet of devices in order to extend their lifespan, the operating system being less greedy in terms of hardware resources.