ChromeOS Flex now available to run on aging Macs and PCs

Google is rolling out ChromeOS Flex as an enterprise option to replace operating systems on old Macs and PCs, letting users turn their aging hardware into Chromebooks.

As computers age, a lot of problems can arise that affect performance and stability. This usually leads to businesses replacing a computer entirely rather than dealing with poor performance.

With ChromeOS Flex, Google hopes to help businesses keep older computers around for longer. The lightweight operating system is designed to work well on older hardware to extend the life of a product, which can lead to reduced e-waste.

The OS can be quickly deployed via a USB stick or over a network connection. Systems running ChromeOS Flex can be managed via a Chrome Enterprise Upgrade using the Google Admin Console.

Google has approved 295 devices so far for ChromeOS Flex. However, it can be installed on other hardware, but non-certified hardware may run into performance issues.

The officially supported Macs include:

Model Name	Current Status	End of Support
21.5-inch iMac (2010)	Certified	2024
21.5-inch iMac (2011)	Minor issues expected	2024
Mac mini (2014)	Certified	2026
MacBook (2010)	Minor issues expected	2023
MacBook Air (2012)	Certified	2025
MacBook Air (2014)	Certified	2026
MacBook Air (2015/2017)	Certified	2027
13-inch MacBook Pro (2012/2013)	Certified	2025
15-inch MacBook Pro (2013/2014)	Certified	2025

Google notes that the webcam is not functional for the MacBook Air (2014) or MacBook Air (2015/2017) models.

Users can install ChromeOS Flex and replace the original operating system, although it is also possible to partition the hard drive and install it as a separate OS. This is a system intended for deployment on aging enterprise hardware and is only available by signing up for early access, for now.

16 Comments

edr 14 comments · 3 Years

About 2 years ago

Crappy Google OS that spies on every single action, and every single page, now "READY"! to spy on your older machines. No thanks. Those old machines still work perfectly well with their original OS as long as you're using an SSD and keep it clean or reinstall the original OS if necessary.

mpantone 2245 comments · 18 Years

edr said:

Crappy Google OS that spies on every single action, and every single page, now "READY"! to spy on your older machines. No thanks. Those old machines still work perfectly well with their original OS as long as you're using an SSD and keep it clean or reinstall the original OS if necessary.

First of all, it's ChromeOS not GoogleOS.

None of the Macs listed above can run the latest version of macOS (Monterey). Remember that Apple only provides updates for the current macOS version as well as security patches for the two prior versions (currently Big Sur and Crapalina). When macOS Ventura is released this fall, Apple will discontinue security patches for Crapalina.

Let's use the MacBook (2010) as an example. It was released with OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.3 and the last supported version was OS X 10.13 High Sierra which transitioned to unsupported status in November 2020. That means this particular Mac+OS combination is vulnerable to security issues that have been revealed since that time.

Remember that this includes no updates to Safari. Web browsers are typically the most vulnerable end-user applications on a typical computer. Of course, one can mitigate these risks by switching to a different browser (Firefox or one of the Chromium-based browsers) and avoiding Safari use.

ChromeOSPlex presumably receives critical security updates periodically. Of course, one has the option of installing Linux (or possibly FreeBSD) on these systems.

No one is pointing a gun at the heads of the older Macs' owners and saying they need to switch to ChromeOS Plex. If you don't want to run ChromeOS Plex, you don't need to. However this is just an announcement that the option exists.

In the same way, you don't need to eat a hardboiled egg for lunch today. But it is an option.

gatorguy 24609 comments · 13 Years

edr said:

Crappy Google OS that spies on every single action, and every single page, now "READY"! to spy on your older machines. No thanks. Those old machines still work perfectly well with their original OS as long as you're using an SSD and keep it clean or reinstall the original OS if necessary.

ChromeOS is not for you anyway. It's made for enterprise use, in more simple terms you can understand by businesses with aging hardware. For them it may be an attractive option in order to get just a couple of years more service life from already paid for computer systems in their networks.