User Experience: Windows Apps on Chrome OS
After a long period, punctuated by no shortness of user demand, Chromebooks can now finally support Windows applications. Well, in a manner of speaking. Let’s examine the process that allows a user access to the applications using Windows Apps On Chrome OS.
A Few Brief Disclaimers
Before we get into how this is possible, we should mention a few of the prerequisites of this process.
As of right now, the Windows/ChromeOS compatibility is clearly intended for enterprise use. It is configured for company-wide setups and rings up an annual per-user cost of $70. Furthermore, the method we are covering here is only compatible on higher-end Chromebooks. These would have at least an i5 or i7 Intel Core processor, 16GB of RAM, and 128GB of onboard storage.
Windows Apps on Chrome OS
How Does Windows Run on a Chromebook?
By collaborating with a company called Parallels, Google has successfully brought Windows to the Chromebook. As a result, you can use Windows programs with or without an active Internet connection.
This approach makes the user experience somewhat unique, as the Windows install effectively runs in its own window. This is almost as if it were simply an application installed in Chrome OS. From within this window, the user can access and utilize the Windows software they need. As a result, it almost feels as though you’re utilizing a remote desktop software, despite the OS being present on your hardware. Starting up the Windows software will take you through the entire boot process you’d typically see in a Windows device. Applying updates will sometimes prompt you to restart the OS environment, rather than your entire device.
How Well Does This All Work?
Besides a few minor oddities, hosting Windows on a Chromebook works just the same as using a Windows device. Some of these oddities can even be beneficial. The same system clipboard applies to both environments, allowing you to copy from one OS and paste into the other. The file storage system also works across both platforms. This allows a user to open their Windows files in Chrome, even if the Windows environment is inactive.
According to reports on Parallels’ process, the only thing that doesn’t work as intended is the recording capability within the Windows environment. You can even include custom business applications along with more common solutions, just make sure your Windows environment is configured correctly.
Why Would Google Do This?
It would appear that Google has seen the value of providing support for legacy applications. This initiative is framed so that companies who rely on these applications can continue to operate effectively. These changes only foreshadow further improvements to come, and a new perspective on how computing will need to be shaped in the future.
Don’t assume that you can simply take your existing budget Chromebook and install Windows on it off the bat. But it will be nice seeing more options for low-cost hardware that plays nicely with the network environments that most businesses already have.
What do you think? Do you see any utility in the Chrome operating system playing nice with Windows applications? Let us know what you think in the comments!
