Chrome OS has come a long way in the past few years. Even so, it’s still not the full-fledged operating system many of us require on our desktop machines. Google is reportedly looking to address that, in part, by adding the ability for users to dual-boot in Windows 10.
According to XDA-Developers, the company is actively courting Microsoft hardware certification for its flagship Chromebook, the Pixelbook. The “alt OS mode” codenamed “Campfire,” is said to be coming to the Pixelbook in the not-too-distant future, with more Chromebook support down the line.
Which devices would actually be able to support Microsoft’s once ubiquitous operating system is dependent on, among other things, system specs. Microsoft’s worked to make Windows compatible with low-end systems, but even by those standards, some super cheap Chromebooks don’t boast the built-in storage required to run both Chrome OS and Windows 10. For all of its faults, maybe Windows 10S would be a decent secondary platform.
Windows 10 on the Pixelbook is a compelling proposition. The high-end Chromebook is a lovely piece of hardware, but even with the addition of Android apps, there are still some software gaps. I took the device on a recent trip to China and was disappointed by some of the limitations I ran into on an otherwise fine device.
It’s suggested that all of this could come as soon as Google’s upcoming Pixel 3 event. Given a number of recent leaks, it does appear that the company’s got something big planned for the near term.