Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. Trash
  4. News

Chrome OS to soon run everywhere, including on PCs and Macs

By
Add as a preferred source on Google

Soon youou won’t need a dedicated Chrome OS-powered device, like a Chromebook, to run Google’s desktop operating system.

Google has announced an early access program called Chrome OS Flex that will bring its operating system to existing Windows and Mac hardware, making it easy and simple to not only run Chrome and benefit from security updates, but also to gain access to Android apps.

The back lid of the MacBook Pro.
Digital Trends

“Chrome OS Flex is a free and sustainable way to modernize devices you already own,” Google said of its latest initiative, which will be initially available for education and enterprise clients. “It’s easy to deploy across your fleet or simply try it to see what a cloud-first OS has to offer.”

Chrome OS Flex is available to try out for free right now through Google’s Enterprise portal.

Google’s Chrome OS Flex will essentially replace your existing Windows or MacOS installation on your current hardware, so this won’t be a dual-boot solution. However, if you’re unsure if you want to convert your existing work machine over to running Chrome OS Flex, Google also has a method to create a Chrome OS Flex bootable USB drive to test drive the operating system first.

The internet search giant claimed that it just takes a few minutes to install and load Chrome OS Flex onto an existing Windows or Mac desktop or laptop.

For enterprise users, the company boasts about features such as advanced security, granular device controls, scalable management, updates, and reporting and insights reports for IT managers. Chrome OS Flex devices can be managed and controlled alongside Chromebooks by your company’s IT department as an added benefit. And by breathing new life into aging Windows and Mac PCs, Google claims that Chrome OS Flex is a sustainable effort that could potentially lead to reduced e-waste.

Google’s latest efforts to transform existing hardware running on competing operating systems into Chrome OS computers comes on the heels of its acquisition of Neverware, which offered an application that performs a similar task.

For those who aren’t ready to fully dive headfirst into Google’s operating system, using a virtual machine can help you reap the benefits of multiple operating systems without having to commit fully to Chrome OS.

Chuong Nguyen
Chuong Nguyen
Former Computing Writer
Silicon Valley-based technology reporter and Giants baseball fan who splits his time between Northern California and Southern…
Topics
Ask YouTube expands to mobile, web, and TVs across the US
YouTube’s AI search is now available across all major screens.
Ask YouTube on TV and desktop

Searching for something online by simply describing what you want is becoming pretty normal now. Google Search can do it. ChatGPT can do it. And YouTube has been slowly turning its own search box into something that works in a similar fashion.

YouTube has now announced a wider rollout for Ask YouTube, its conversational AI search tool. The feature is available to users in the U.S. across the web, mobile devices, and TVs. Mobile is the newest addition here, after Ask YouTube previously expanded to the web and smart TVs. Instead of putting a few keywords into the search bar, you can ask YouTube a complete question, describe what you are looking for, and then refine the results using follow-up questions.

Read more
Meta goes toe-to-toe with the big boys as it launches Muse Wonder AI models
Illustration of Meta Muse Wonder AI model.

It's raining frontier AI models. Soon after Anthropic set alarm bells ringing with its Claude Fable model at the summit of AI peformance, OpenAI answered with GPT-6 Astra. Not one to be left behind, Google released Gemini 4 Argon. The race is now getting hotter as Meta enters the fray with two new AI models in the Muse series: Wonder and Wonder Full. Cheesy naming aside, these Meta AI models mean business, or at least that's what the benchmark figures suggest. More importantly, these AI models are already making their way to Muse users.

https://twitter.com/DigitalTrends/status/2109699549375988120

Read more
Look, the MacBook Neo is a fine machine for building apps. And yes, I am utterly surprised
I am talking about apps with a generous dose of AI wizardry happening in the background.
MacBook Neo in yellow.

In a span of just one week, I have built a full-fledged Android app for my Galaxy Z Fold 8 foldable phone, three Mac apps, and an iPhone app. And here's the fun part. The entire journey of creating these apps actually started on a phone, jumped to my MacBook Neo, compiled just fine, and ran flawlessly, without making me want to tear my hair off. The latest example? 

It built my calendar-clipboard hybrid app in Terminal within 20 seconds, and an on-device transcription app with a retro look in roughly 15 seconds. I used to think building desktop software would have me burning the midnight oil. The MacBook Neo did it in less time than I can pour myself a can of soda and take the first sip. 

Read more