Why cheap Chromebooks running Windows will benefit Google, not you
The most affordable Chromebooks aren’t exactly barn burners, pairing low-end ARM chips with Google’s streamlined, browser-based Chrome OS. Now, reports of a newly discovered “Campfire” feature suggests Google wants to enable Chromebooks to run Windows? Madness!
Well, not if you’re Google. In fact, in most cases the only party that would benefit from this is Google, in terms of showing off how efficient its Chrome OS can be in comparison to Microsoft’s “bloated” Windows.
Google’s secret project to bring Windows 10 to Chromebooks is reportedly named Campfire, according to the XDA Developers who delved through source code, and part of a new “Alt OS Mode” for Chromebooks that won’t require enabling Developer Mode. Campfire supposedly will launch on the next Pixelbook and similarly high-powered Chromebooks, which use Windows-capable Core i5 processors. But if Google is devious, it will enable Campfire on Core i3 or Celeron-powered devices—notebooks that are just fast enough to make Chrome OS appear fast and powerful, but just underpowered enough to make Windows look tired by comparison.