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Chrome OS Flex: New operating system turns notebooks and Macs into Chromebooks

Google has introduced Chrome OS Flex, a new cloud operating system that follows in the footsteps of the increasingly popular Chrome OS. Thanks to the new OS, old Windows notebooks, Macs or Macbooks are transformed into Chromebooks.

Chrome OS Flex turns notebooks and Macs into Chromebooks

Although the big breakthrough of Chrome OS or the Chromebooks equipped with it is still waiting, Google’s operating system could already celebrate some respectable successes and enjoys growing popularity.

This could increase even more thanks to the introduction of Chrome OS Flex, because the new OS is cloud-based and can be installed on all notebooks, Macs and MacBooks. The new operating system was realized by Google’s purchase of Neverware in December 2021. Neverware offered an operating system based on the Chromium OS with Cloudready to breathe new life into old computers.

The reason for the purchase is now becoming apparent: Together they are introducing Chrome OS Flex, which launched into Early Access on February 15.

Chrome OS Flex: Fast, easy to manage, secure

Chrome OS Flex is provided completely free of charge on the part of Google and was actually developed for businesses and educational institutions. The core idea behind it is to convert old notebooks and Mac devices into Chromebooks.

Thus, the operating system is primarily aimed at older devices that no longer meet the high hardware requirements of Windows and macOS. After all, Google OS is quite frugal in comparison.

In the first phase, the search engine giant is targeting old devices that no longer run or only run poorly under their originally intended operating system. The current version is currently still in a test phase, but will later be replaced free of charge and automatically in the backend by a more stable and faster version.

Specially secure

At the same time, the OS is supposed to be particularly intuitive and secure. No anti-virus software is required. Thanks to regular security updates, Chrome OS Flex has built-in protection against threats such as viruses, ransomware and phishing. Installation is done within a few minutes via USB or over the network.

Also exciting for businesses is a centralized management feature that can be triggered from an admin console. IT can even prevent data loss in the event of lost or stolen devices by remote wiping. These security aspects, among others, already made a major European hotel chain switch to ChromeOS in January.

What are the hardware requirements for Chrome OS Flex?

Thanks to the low hardware requirements, Flex can be used on PCs, notebooks and Macs that are almost a decade old. On the other hand, it is a bit unfortunate that the operating system does not currently support the Google Play Store and thus no Android apps are currently offered.

The hardware requirements:

  • Architecture: Intel or AMD x86-64-bit compatible device
  • RAM: 4 GB
  • Internal storage: 16 GB
  • Bootable from USB drive
  • BIOS: Full administrator access. You’ll need to boot from the Chrome OS Flex USB installer and make some adjustments in the BIOS if you run into issues.
  • Processor and graphics: Components made before 2010 might result in a poor experience.
  • Note: Intel GMA 500, 600, 3600, and 3650 graphics hardware do not meet Chrome OS Flex performance standards.
Chrome OS Flex Early Access Test
Image: Google

If you want to try out the operating system, you can download Chrome OS Flex for free. All you need is a USB stick and a compatible PC or Mac. The test is also possible without installation, booting directly from the USB stick.

Simon Lüthje

I am co-founder of this blog and am very interested in everything that has to do with technology, but I also like to play games. I was born in Hamburg, but now I live in Bad Segeberg.

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Google has introduced Chrome OS Flex, a new cloud operating system that follows in the footsteps of the increasingly popular Chrome OS. Thanks to the new OS, old Windows notebooks, Macs or Macbooks are transformed into Chromebooks. Chrome OS Flex turns notebooks and Macs into Chromebooks Although the big breakthrough of Chrome OS or the … (Weiterlesen...)

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