Yesterday marked the ten-year milestone for Chrome OS, and what a ride. Within that relatively short span (for an OS), Chrome OS went from zero to the world’s second most popular operating system with a 10.8% adoption in 2020.
The new Chrome OS v89 will come with even more productivity features, and some of them leverage the power of Google Search, but without a trip to the search bar.
For example, it is possible to “get answers fast” with the optional Quick Answers feature. Just select and right-click on some text, and a pop-up will automatically fetch a word definition.
The Clipboard now saves up to five items in its internal history. That’s convenient when you are editing a document where the same things need to be pasted at different locations.
Screenshots and screen recordings are getting a boost and have a dedicated user interface. That’s a lot better than remembering key combinations. We know because “how to take a screenshot” is one of our website’s most popular articles.
If you have an Android phone, Chrome OS will now offer to perform everyday actions, such as locating and silencing the handset, or enabling its internal broadband hotspot.
For those who get some real work done, and they are more and more of them, Chrome OS’ Desks feature (virtual desktops) is getting a productivity update with better window management and continuity across reboots.
There’s a bit more, but these are the features that caught my attention. Thanks to modern web technologies and connectivity and the relentless drive by Google and others to switch to the cloud, Chrome OS has become a powerhouse that’s here to stay, and grow.
The hardware eco-system has gotten considerably better during that time. Chrome OS might have debuted on modest (or straight up cheap) hardware, but the quality is now extremely high. Just check the Galaxy Chromebook 2 or other models from Lenovo, ASUS, Acer, and others
It is the de-facto OS that I recommend to anyone who wants a simple and resilient computing experience, whether it is my parents, students, and more. Of course, you need a working Internet connection to exploit it entirely, but this hasn’t been a considerable problem for nearly a decade, and connectivity will only get better.