Google believes that Chrome OS has a chance to succeed beyond Chromebooks and, for this reason, announced that the operating system will try its luck on Macs and PCs. The proposal, named Chrome OS Flex and whose download is completely free, is intended to meet the needs of schools and companies, according to The Verge.
Chrome OS Flex integrates the same graphical interface and basic tools that we already find in Chrome OS; including the Chrome browser. Of course, there is support for synchronization of settings and bookmarks. In addition, we will have at our disposal Google Assistant and various integrations with Android devices.
One of the most striking features of Chrome OS Flex is that, like the standard version of the operating system, it does not require a high-performance computer to be able to install it. This means that you can run it on old Macs or PCs to give them a second wind. This is due to the fact that a good part of its functions are possible thanks to “the cloud”. These are the minimum requirements:
Processor: Intel or AMD x86 64-bit.RAM Memory: 4GB.Storage : 16GB.BIOS: full administrator access. Chrome OS Flex is a free and sustainable way to modernize the devices you already own. It's easy to deploy to all your computers, or just give it a try to see what a cloud-based operating system has to offer.
Google Beware, Google points out that some Chrome OS Flex features, such as support for Google Assistant or synchronization with Android, may not be available on computers that fall short of specifications. This includes those that even meet the minimum requirements.
Another thing to consider is that Chrome OS Flex does not support the Play Store or Android apps. In fact, at least for now, Mountain View has no intention of adding this compatibility.
Having cleared up the above points, and if you are still convinced to try Chrome OS Flex on a computer that is possibly just collecting dust, you should go to the following link to download it. It's free. Consider that you must create a bootable USB and that the installation will replace the operating system of your computer, either Mac or Windows.
