Since a little above a decade ago, Chrome OS is welcomed in the industry and since its inception, the OS that seems to being Google's own answer for desktops' users seeking Google's own OS designed basically for desktop environment has apparently being doing wholesomely fine.
Meanwhile, over the years, some questions about the Chrome OS have being circulating across several forums and blogs on the internet. Some of the questions include:
To begin with, I'll be starting by providing my own answer to the commonest question of all the questions about the OS thus, what is Chrome OS?
What is Chrome OS?
Chrome OS is an operating system similar to Windows and macOS. Just like Android, Chrome OS is developed and owned by Google. But unlike Android which is designed for mobile interfaces, Chrome OS is designed basically for desktop environments just as Windows and macOS were.
Although Chrome OS is a great platform, just like its rivals, it could not escape its own unique pros and cons which are discussed in greater details later down this page.
Meanwhile, it should also be noted that later Chromebooks, which are released in the year 2017 or later have access to the Google Play Store hence; can download and run Android applications as well. Detailed note on how to check if your Chromebook can run Android applications is discussed here and you can also learn how to enable Google Play Store on your Chromebook here.
And in case you are unaware of this, most of those newer Chromebooks that can download and run Android applications can also have the ability to run Linux apps, which further advances the Chromebooks' capabilities. - In essence, this also goes to mean that Chrome OS can even run desktop-level programs, so long as such are available for Linux platforms.
What's the Difference Between Chrome OS and Chrome Browser?
Chrome OS is an operating system that powers computers. Just as Windows OS powers other computers and macOS powers Macbooks precisely; Chrome OS powers Chromebooks.
Meanwhile, Chrome browser on the other hand, is an application that can be downloaded and installed on most computers. Chrome browser can be installed on Windows PCs, Macbook, Linux-powered PCs and machines and its mobile versions are also available for Android and iOS.
Using Chrome browser, you can surf the internet pretty much the same as you do with other browsers such as Firefox, Edge and other popular browsers.
According to StatCounter, Chrome is currently the most popular browser in the world, with a market share of around 65% (all platforms combined).
On that note, although Chrome browser comes pre-installed on Chromebooks which are the computers that are powered by Chrome OS, Chrome browser is just an application that is installable on computers and mobile phones while Chrome OS is an operating system on which certain computers; Chromebooks precisely, are being run.
For Whom is Chrome OS Designed?
Basically, the answer to this question revolves around individual wants and needs. Being that the case, since Chromebooks are simple by design and affordable to secure, though there are high-end Chromebook models which come with jaw-dropping price tags as well; Chrome OS are designed specifically for light users. Thus; if all you want to do with a laptop is browse the web, watch YouTube videos, play Android games, and run the same apps you use on your phone efficiently on your laptop, Chrome OS is definitely something to consider.
However, if you are a heavy user that constantly have the need for software like Photoshop or Corel Draw or more addicted to playing PC games, more traditional Windows or even a macOS device is better suited for your needs.
What Are the Pros of the Chrome OS?
Just like other OS, Chrome OS does have its own unique pros and cons. Just below here I highlight few of the Chrome OS pros.
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Chromebooks are more affordable, cheap
Because Chrome OS is open-source and free to use, Chromebooks are more affordable to secure. Although there are high-end Chromebooks with jaw-dropping price tags, Chromebooks are generally designed for simple tasks like browsing the web and running Android apps hence making high-end hardware a needless requirement.
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Efficiently run your mobile phone apps on your laptop
The support for Android applications readily makes Chrome OS more flexible and desireable. Remember, as earlier noted, Chromebooks released in or after the year 2017 all support Android apps.
This means you can readily download and install Android applications on your Chromebooks directly from the Google Play Store, making it possible for you to using the same set of applications you use on your smartphone on a desktop environment.
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Simplicity
Similar to Android, Chrome OS is so simple by design which is why operating a Chromebook is so simple that even your five year old daughter could use it effectively. Apart from that, Chromebook also works extremely fast and boots up in mere seconds.
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Support for Linux Applications
In addition to the support for Android applications, provided you have a Chromebook that has all the requirements to run desktop-level applications, you can also run Linux applications on your Chromebook regardless of the installed Chrome OS.
By this, you are more like running two to three OS on a single machine concurrently, thus; without being dual-booted.
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Excellent Battery Life
Because Chrome OS is designed to be simple and light-weight, Chromebooks don’t necessarily need a lot of power to operate effectively, hence battery life is generally excellent.
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More Portable
Due to the design of the Chrome OS, devices that are powered by Chrome OS generally don’t have large hard drives and other heavy hardware that may constitute to a more heavier computer. What all these mean is that, Chromebooks are generally lighter than most other laptops — making them more ideal to carry with you everywhere you go.
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More cloud-ready
With a host of Google's services including Docs for creating documents, Drive for storing your files, and Photos for all your images which are built-in in Chromebooks, Chrome OS is mostly cloud-based and Chromebooks are more cloud-ready and friendly than most other computers.
Using Chromebooks, you can always access all these files and documents on other devices with an internet connection, regardless of your location or time of the day. Apart from that, you can also be sure that you won't loose your files in the event that your Chromebook gets lost, stolen, or damaged.
What Are the Cons of the Chrome OS?
It is unlikely there exists anything in this world that has pros without cons. As beautiful as Chrome OS is, especially when it is experienced in Chromebooks and not the unofficial Chrome OS version that can be installed on any computer, it does have its own cons, too.
Just below here I highlight few of the Chrome OS cons.
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Limited storage space
Although, if installed on any size of storage space, Chrome OS would run extremely fine but the storage space you get on a Chromebook is generally smaller than what you would expect on a Windows laptop.
For instance, where you can expect around 500GB on a Windows laptop, expect around 64GB on Chromebook. While this is not a huge drawback, it is worth mentioning nonetheless.
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Software compatibility issues
As earlier hinted, unless you enable support for Linux on your Chromebook, you cannot use the full versions of Photoshop, Microsoft Office, and many other popular and high-demand programs on Chromebooks.
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Limited experience in offline mode
By design, devices that are powered by Chrome OS work best only when you have access to the internet. Although you can use these devices in offline mode, the experience is not always as good as when there was internet access.
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