What if Chromebooks could do more?
Chromebooks now make up for 21% of all laptop purchases in the USA, which is definitely a success. The cloud-based operating system is booming as Google continues to make it a more dependable and enticing product. Chromebooks have amazing prices, performance and simplicity, which most times beats the competition. There are some things still holding it back, though.
Truth is: people still need their full programs. They need Photoshop. They need their Word, Excel and Powerpoint (even if Google has some great alternatives for that). Not to mention, a lot of businesses use more obscure programs that might never make it to Chrome OS.
What is the solution to this?
Google seems to have figured it out and partnered with VMWare to bring Windows programs to Chromebooks. This is not done in the traditional way, though. Desktop as a Service (DaaS) will only serve as a door between Windows and Chrome OS. It will allow users to put their traditional programs in the cloud, which Chromebooks can then tap into.
In a way, it will work much like Chrome Remote Desktop, which allows you to remote control your traditional OS-touting computers from your Chromebook. VMWare will pretty much do the same, but it will display the application on your Chromebook the same way it would show up on your Windows computer.
What does this even mean? It means that instead of seeing and controlling the whole desktop screen, only a window with the application will show up on your Chromebook. This makes for a much seamless experience. It will feel more like the application belongs in the screen, as opposed to just being a stream.
Who is it for
Ideally, it would be for everyone. After all, Chromebooks are mostly for the consumer, but Google has been pushing very strong to take over the enterprise market. They have even released Chromebox for Meetings, a bundle that comes with everything needed for some well-suited conference calls.
It seems this will be the case for VMWare DaaS. Google is not mentioning anything about bringing it to the general consumer, but let’s hope it’s ported over to Chrome Remote Desktop at some point. This would also entice a lot of general consumers to jump ship and purchase a Chromebook!
Wouldn’t you agree? It would be great to have one main computer at home (a very powerful one) and then multiple Chromebooks for the rest of the family. Please bring it to all of us, Google! I would even be willing to pay a reasonable amount for this.
This service is now available for businesses, though, so please let us know how it works if you have access to it! And if you want this service or need mroe details, you can always contact Google!
