Google Compares Windows To VHS, It's Coming To Chromebooks Anyway

Google is bringing Windows and its apps to Chromebooks despite using analogies that equate Microsoft's Os to VHS. That's based on a contempo interview from The Verge with Google group product director for Chrome OS Cyrus Mistry.

In the interview, Mr. Mistry details how and why Google has decided to partner with Parallels to evangelize a total Windows experience on Chromebooks. The Chrome OS manager indicates that the earth is filled with new technologies and solutions. But, Mr. Mistry continues, "every once in a while yous practice have that old wedding video on a VHS that you lot need to get to."

In his analogy, Cyrus Mistry is referring, of course, to Windows and its apps. Microsoft'southward legacy apps, in particular, which are still used in many Enterprise environments by businesses.

What is 'Parallels' and what will information technology do for Chromebooks?

Now, Google'southward work with Parallels in this bid to use Windows to take market share from Windows has already been well documented. Google detailed its plans to bring those Windows apps over to Chrome OS via a virtualized Windows desktop back in mid-June.

The goal, of form, is to entice any who may still exist on the fence virtually switching to Chromebooks. As noted by Mr. Mistry, there'due south a lot of factors behind that. Not least of all, Chromebooks already offer Android and Linux app access, if non Windows app access.

Equally a partner, Parallels is a perfect choice to make all of that happen. The cross-platform software virtualization visitor already has all-encompassing experience with the process on other platforms. And, similarly, Google's existing experience bringing Android and Linux to Chromebooks will testify useful in that effort. But Mr. Mistry too had some new details most how it will work from the beginning and in the future.

As mentioned already, everything volition start past just bringing over the entire Windows desktop. To get started, resellers will exist able to bundle Parallels Desktop with Chromebook Enterprise-specific devices. Conversely, Information technology administrators will besides be able to enable the solution on their end for whatsoever Chromebooks that are enrolled and managed with the Chrome Enterprise Upgrade.

For security reasons, that will exist kept entirely sandboxed, letting users jump in and out to become the tools and apps they need. Chrome Bone will even go and so far as to automatically launch Parallels' solution when certain, Windows-specific file types are opened up.

It'south too much clearer who this is intended for and what the requirements will be

In the futurity, the partnership is aimed at creating a Chrome OS-specific feature similar to Parallels' Coherence. That would, in effect, mean that Windows apps, rather than the unabridged desktop, could run equally though they were native to the Chromebook. That would, of course, have a positive impact on the required specs. Simply it would as well almost certainly improve performance across the lath.

Now, equally hinted to a higher place, this isn't coming to every terminate-user. To begin with, Parallels and Google's solution will be limited to Enterprise users. Information technology'll too likely exist limited to Enterprise devices. But that's not likely to be a bad thing. At least to start, the solution is not going to be lightweight.

Mr. Mistry says that specifically, information technology volition be limited to "ability usage" devices. The exact specifications have non been laid out just yet. But Mr. Mistry indicates that includes those that ship with higher-end processors such every bit Intel Core i5 or i7 processors. And 8GB of RAM will likely be required too. For devices without a dedicated fan, at to the lowest degree 16GB could be required.

Bated from the specs, Windows licenses for the software in question volition be required also. So Microsoft, while potentially losing market share for Windows, won't necessarily exist losing much overall.