Unusual collab will make Office much easier to run on Chromebooks

Google is promising a more in-depth collaboration between its ChromeOS, Chromebooks, and Microsoft 365, an uncommon dedication on condition that the 2 firms are often fierce rivals within the productiveness area.

Google stated not too long ago that the corporate will migrate customers to a “new integration later this year on ChromeOS, making it easier to install the app and open files.”

For most functions, Chrome OS capabilities as a primarily web-based expertise. Currently, ChromeOS permits customers to open Office apps as Progressive Web Apps, or PWAs, that are primarily net apps that may be saved and run domestically on a PC. The new integration, as Google describes it, will join the OS extra seamlessly with each Office 365 and Microsoft’s OneDrive cloud.

“Users will be offered a guided setup experience that takes them through the process of installing the Microsoft 365 web app and connecting Microsoft OneDrive to their Chromebook Files app,” Google stated in a weblog put up. “Files will be moved to Microsoft OneDrive when opening in the Microsoft 365 app.”

The latter addition is especially attention-grabbing, on condition that Google often considers its cloud to be intently tied to its Workspace purposes, as does Microsoft. By integrating OneDrive with the Files app, nevertheless, the method of transferring, viewing, and in any other case managing OneDrive information will be rather a lot easier than attempting to navigate a number of interfaces. It’s value noting, too, that OneDrive is now intently built-in throughout the File Explorer app inside Windows.

Google stated that it plans to formally launch the brand new expertise within the coming months, although it will enable testers in its developer and beta channels to check out this system earlier. The story was reported earlier by The Verge.

Microsoft has additionally been notably delicate to Chromebooks encroaching on low-end Windows laptops, even designing a number of variations of its Windows working system to take them on. Windows 10X, whose interface was repurposed to create Windows 11, was ultimately cancelled. Microsoft pitched Windows 11 SE as its newest Chromebook killer, although only for the training market. That’s struggled, too. Microsoft nonetheless advertises its Surface Laptop SE for $249.99, although simply three of the eight resellers Microsoft lists on its web site seem to really promote it: Connection, Douglas Stewart, and Insight.

But it’s potential that Microsoft is solely adapting the technique it adopted in smartphones to ChromeOS. For years, Windows 10 Mobile was Microsoft’s foray into the cell area. When Windows 10 Mobile went below, Microsoft modified techniques; at this time, Microsoft has developed many cell purposes for Android telephones and tablets, together with Office. Having discovered success with that “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em” technique, ChromeOS is outwardly subsequent on the checklist.