The History of ChromeOS

The ChromeOS ecosystem is thriving, but had it's humble beginnings as a basic web-centric operating system developed by Google. Google's rationalization for ChromeOS was that many computer users were shifting away from native applications towards web applications. ChromeOS was designed as a modern and secure endpoint to allow most people who were coming online in 2005 to experience the web without having to worry about malware, complicated setup instructions or performing operating system updates. ChromeOS was designed to boot in seconds, a remarkable feat when most operating systems at the time often took over a minute to boot.

The first build of ChromeOS distributed on a custom Chromebook known as the CR-48. This machine was not sold commercially, but was seeded to early adopters and developers to get a glimpse of what Google's vision of what the future of computing could be for many users. Reviews were mixed, often calling ChromeOS a solution searching for a problem. Many reviewers were harsh on ChromeOS, advising customers to avoid them as they were essentially useless when not connected to the Internet.

Google continued to take feedback from customers and reviewers and addressed the shortfalls of ChromeOS by focusing on making future Chromebooks lighter, faster and have battery life that often exceeded that of other traditional laptops at the time. Chromebooks were also priced in a way to make these devices affordable for almost anyone.

Google eventually added offline support to ChromeOS, starting with ChromeOS Native Apps and Extensions but later evolving to being able to run full Android applications and even Linux applications on many newer Chromebooks released after 2019. Some high-end Chromebooks can even run a full Windows desktop.

Aside from Chromebooks, Google has also created ChromeOS devices in multiple form factors including Chromeboxes, Chromeblets (tablet), Chromebits and purposed built devices for kiosks and digital signage.