Technology
Google adds to Chromebook - Microsoft Office and other Windows features
Google partners with Parallels to bring Chromebooks native Microsoft Office apps and other legacy Windows enterprise apps. In a blog post on the future of Chrome OS for businesses Google announced its latest collaboration.
Although the Chrome OS supports Windows mobile applications which are broadcast through the cloud through a Parallel Remote Application Server for a long time, this new agreement ensures that the apps are virtualized on Chromebooks instead. The new functionality is scheduled for Chrome Business customers to be available this fall.
Parallels should be natively built into Chrome OS, allowing speed enhancement and offline access on Chromebooks for such applications.
It's a shock, but welcome change that means that all Android and Windows devices will be supported in the future through Chrome OS.
This would also allow companies to take Chromebooks seriously as replacements for Windows-based notebooks for some workers without investing in technologies that filter Chromebook business applications.
Google does not yet have any detail on the Parallels relationship, but the organization expects "more over the next few months."
