Google’s Chrome OS Flex is now ready to revive Macs that are too elderly to run the latest macOS version. That includes models as far back as 2010. It turns the Mac into a Chromebook, but at least it’s an up-to-date one.
The free OS is targeted at businesses and schools, but it might become a way for individuals to bring some new life to their obsolete Macs.
Don’t trash that Mac – install Chrome OS Flex instead
Nearly every Mac user has an old computer or two in storage. Schools and businesses that use Macs can end up with dozens. Or hundreds.
Google is now offering Chrome OS Flex to these organizations. “Try the cloud-first, fast, easy-to-manage, and secure Chrome OS for PCs and Macs,” says Google. “Chrome OS Flex is a free and sustainable way to modernize devices you already own. It’s easy to deploy across your fleet.”
The company promises that Macs running the new operating system are “secure, boot fast, don’t slow down over time, update automatically in the background, and can be managed from the cloud.” It includes the official Chrome Browser.
There are seven iMac, Mac mini and MacBook models certified to work with Chrome OS Flex. That includes the mid-2010 MacBook, the mid-2010 iMac and the late-2014 Mac mini. There are other Apple models that also work but with “minor issues expected.”
A cloud-based OS
In 2020, Google purchased Neverware, the developer of CloudReady, an operating system built on Chromium OS for older computers. This has been adapted into Chrome OS Flex.
It’s not macOS, but Flex has security advantages. It runs on computers for which Apple no longer releases security patches. And Google points out that “blocked executables and sandboxing technology eliminate the need for antivirus software.”
Visit the Google website to learn more.
