Is Chromebook becoming the ultimate computing device?
The question become relevant as Apple switches it Macs from Intel CPUs to its platform of the future, ARM, and so no more Boot Camp, no more Windows booting natively on Mac desktop computers and laptops. Until now, this was possible, because Windows and MacOS are both coded for Intel CPUs.
The death knell for Windows on new Macs is about two years away. Apple has shown Linux working on ARM CPUs through virtualization; MacOS is based on Unix. It could be the same for Windows, but running an operating system on a virtual machine slows it down significantly.
Microsoft has an ARM version of Windows, but indicated that so far it is not interested in cooperating with Apple. Apple, likewise, shows no interest in reciprocating. Bifurcation may be the future of computing. https://www.theregister.com/2020/06/25/apple_gives_boot_camp_the/
Apple has shown iOS and iPadOS apps running on Macs, as both would be hosted by ARM CPU.
Four OSes, One Computer
Beside native ChomeOS, Chromebooks smoothly handle Android apps, have taken a stab at running Linux programs, and now Google says the lithe computers might in the future run Windows programs, too.
It may seem more complicated getting Android to run on Chromebook than what Apple plans to do with iOS on Macs. Normally, Androids run on ARM CPUs, while Chromebooks on Intel CPUs. However, Google has an Intel version of Android, which allows Android emulators to run on Windows PCs. There even are some dual-boot tablets out of China that run Android or Windows 10.
While I find my i5-based Acer Spin 13 Chromebook a wonderful machine, its lack of running Windows programs can be a practical pain. I took it as my sole computer to a software conference in Europe last year. When the software vendor released a beta of the next release of its CAD system, I could not download it and try it out; I had to wait until I was back home again.
(A workaround is for Mac and ChomeOS computers to use remote-access software, such as TeamViewer or Chrome Remote Desktop, to view Windows programs running on a Windows computer. But this, too, is not a speedy solution.)
Details about Windows on ChromeOS are, at this point, ultra vague. Given how slowly Linux support is developing, I'd not be one to be holding my breath. androidpolice.com/2020/06/16/google-and-parallels-announce-plans-to-bring-windows-apps-to-chromebooks/
Comments