Chrome OS is adding support for USB tethering for iPhone, a small detail which could make for a big reduction in headaches when it comes to getting your Chromebook online. The new functionality should come as a relief for those Chrome OS users who haven't paired their machine with an Android phone, and thus don't get to use Instant Tethering.
Google has pretty much axed the development of its Chrome OS tablets but it continues to build up the operating system as a platform for work as much as it is for content consumption. It’s not yet there but each release takes it closer to that reality. In the next release or two, Chrome OS will gain the ability to see how long before your Bluetooth device dies out and how to manage virtual desktops in a way that won’t make sense to tablet-only devices.
From the very beginning, Chrome OS and Chromebooks were envisioned to be cloud-centric, which is why the early models had very measly internal storage. It may have been a bit ahead of its time and Chromebook makers eventually crammed more gigabytes inside devices. Fast-forward a few years later, cloud storage has become a critical piece of modern workers' lives and now Chrome OS is putting them these services to the forefront of its native Files app. That is if their Android app supports its.
Google is giving up on tablet development, focusing on Pixel smartphones, Chrome OS devices, and throwing its weight behind its hardware partners in the run-up to Android Q's release. Unusually, for a tech firm, the search giant opted not to allow its products to wither away in silence. Instead, Google confirmed head-on that it was changing course.
A report and confirmation from Google SVP of Devices and Services Rick Osterloh today say Google is axing tablets. This means that for the foreseeable future, Google won't be designing and/or ordering manufacturing for tablet devices for Chrome OS or Android. According to Osterloh, "Google's HARDWARE team will be solely focused on building laptops moving forward."
One of the most surprising things to come out of WWDC is arguably iPadOS. Until just a few hours before the event, there was very little evidence of its existence. Sure, Apple has been making iOS on iPads, especially iPad Pros, more and more capable but few probably expected it would come out with a slightly modified and dedicated version of iOS for larger screens. More than just confirming Apple's vision for its iPad line, iPadOS also reinforces the opportunity that Google and other Android device makers had with Android tablets and how they squandered that chance to beat Apple to this market.
Google has two major operating systems, and one experimental one still coming, and that doesn't seem to be changing any time soon. Instead of the "one OS to rule them all" approach, Google is instead using a strategy that tries to seamlessly bridge the divide between Chrome OS and Android. The latest step in that regard seems to be a project called "OneChrome" that will let the two platforms share pieces of data, including Wi-Fi passwords, clipboard, and even phone numbers.
We live in a cruel world, a world where people find joy in spoiling story endings for others on the internet. They see a movie on release day (or worse yet, pirate a movie), turn around and spew the ending of said movie on the web. Today I've been shown a tool that could mitigate internet-based spoilers in a big way. Let me turn your attention toward Redact It.
Early indications on Google developer code commits suggest that the early Project Campfire dual-boot solution are dead. They'll be winding down the program immediately. Now it's time to speak about what we'll be able to run instead. We begin with one very helpful sort of keyword: Chrulrabook.
Fuchsia isn't exactly a total secret. It has been spotted numerous times, partially thanks to its open source nature. But while Google hasn't taken pains to hide this third operating system, it also hasn't said much about it. Perhaps for the first time in a long while and in the biggest way possible, Fuchsia's existence and goal has been confirmed by a high-ranking Google official. And not just any Google exec but the very man who heads Android and Chrome OS, the two platforms Fuchsia is expected to unify or replace.
Gone are the days when Chrome OS felt simply like a glorified web browser limited to Google's apps and services. Google says it designed the platform around speed, simplicity, and security but, to be honest, only two of those probably still hold. Chrome OS has grown up to be quite the complicated beast and now Google is revealing what it was all for: Web and Android app development.
Google has been promoting Chrome OS and Chromebooks as the platform to use to get real work done but even its fans will admit it's not there yet. Juggling three platforms in one probably isn't easy so when Google does make strides in all of them, there's reason for Chrome OS users to celebrate. The latest major release, version 74, won't immediately make it the OS to finally beat Windows and macOS but at least now it can be more useful especially for Linux users.