This week, Google made a pretty monumental announcement in the form of Chrome OS Flex, but as most users will likely note, Chrome OS Flex bears some pretty striking resemblance to a product that has been in circulation for years at this point: Neverware’s CloudReady. Those same users will also likely note that Google acquired Neverware over a year ago at this point and the similarities between CloudReady and Chrome OS Flex are largely due to this move that happened in December of 2020.  For Google, then, the question becomes: “Why bother with this?” Why re-launch an already-working solution, rebrand it and make a big deal about its release? Well, the answer to that is actually pretty clear once you start looking at the two side-by-side. Chrome OS Flex – while sharing a great deal with CloudReady – is the next phase of Neverware’s cloud-based OS solution now that Google is on board and in control. There are plenty of things that are the same, but there are some key differences that make Chrome OS Flex a very big deal moving forward.  Chrome OS Flex, like CloudReady, can be quickly installed on a USB drive with 8GB of space or more and can even run from there if you choose. Just like CloudReady, Chrome OS Flex can be fully installed on the device of your choosing with a single button on the lock screen. And also like CloudReady, you can write the OS image to your USB drive with any device that runs Chrome and it is free to use on individual devices as long as you wish.  But the similarities end there. Google says that all CloudReady users will automatically be upgraded to Chrome OS Flex as it leaves the Developer Channel and that the benefits will show up via the standard update process we already know and love with Chrome OS and CloudReady.   That’s a hefty list of improvements, but I want to discuss a few that will really make this new version of Chrome OS a more viable solution for not only IT admins, enterprise and education users, but for general consumers as well. The first and most notable of these changes is the fact that this is official, Google-certified Chrome OS with the full-blown Chrome browser. That means all your extensions, bookmarks, and developer tools will work on this version of Chrome just as it would on any other Chromebook, PC, or Mac.  As a related change, Chrome OS Flex is fully-legit Chrome OS, not Chromium OS like you get with CloudReady. That means users running Chrome OS Flex will be in step with Chromebooks from a version standpoint, moving in-sync with Chrome OS releases instead of being a few versions behind as we’ve seen with CloudReady.  Because it is Chrome OS, that also means some niceties arrive like the ability to use managed Family Link setups, Nearby Sharing, Phone Hub, and Google Assistant to name a few. These additions across the board have become core parts of the Chrome OS experience, and in our early testing, they all work just as you’d expect on any other Chromebook. Finally, Chrome OS Flex will work just like Chrome OS from a licensing and management standpoint. If you have a fleet of Chromebooks deployed in an enterprise or education setting, you’ll be able to add Chrome OS Flex devices with the same setup and tools you’d expect to use in the Google Admin Console. This is a big and notable departure from the way things were handled with CloudReady and should make Chrome OS Flex far easier to use in large numbers for many organizations. Get well informed by visiting OUR FORUM.

Microsoft has long argued that its Xbox store should be treated differently than the app store ecosystem around PCs or phones. The software giant takes a 30 percent cut on digital game purchases through its Xbox store, just like Apple takes from software purchased on its App Store. While Microsoft defended this business model during the Epic v. Apple trial last year, the Xbox maker is now hinting that it needs to make its Xbox store more open in a move that could change its Xbox console business model in the future. Microsoft has unveiled a series of app store principles today that are similar to the ones it laid out two years ago. The principles are designed to “ensure we’re providing the best possible experience for creators and customers of all sizes,” according to Microsoft president Brad Smith. Some of the principles only apply to Microsoft’s Windows Store, and not its Xbox store, though. Microsoft’s reasoning behind why the Xbox store should be treated differently will be familiar if you’ve heard the company argue in Epic’s favor before. Smith says legislation is being written to address app stores across PCs and phones but not game consoles like the Xbox. “Emerging legislation is not being written for specialized computing devices, like gaming consoles, for good reasons,” says Smith. “Gaming consoles, specifically, are sold to gamers at a loss to establish a robust and viable ecosystem for game developers. The costs are recovered later through revenue earned in the dedicated console store.” Microsoft has previously revealed it doesn’t earn any profit on sales of Xbox consoles alone, and that thanks to a hardware subsidy model, “profits are generated in-game sales and online service subscriptions.” This model is particularly lucrative for games like Fortnite, Call of Duty: Warzone, and other popular free-to-play games that rely on in-game purchases for monetization. Microsoft takes a cut of all of these purchases, and we’ve seen the impact Fortnite can have on Xbox revenue alone. Despite this lucrative business model, Microsoft says it will need to change, as it seeks to assure regulators that are looking closely at its $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. “We recognize that we will need to adapt our business model even for the store on the Xbox console,” admits Smith. Microsoft confirms to The Verge it will apply seven of its 11 principles to the Xbox store starting today, February 9th, including treating apps or games equally, transparency about promotion or marketing of apps and games, and holding its own apps or games to the same standards imposed on others. Crucially, one big principle won’t be applied to the Xbox store yet: not requiring developers to use its own in-app payments system on Windows. “We’re committed to closing the gap on the remaining principles over time,” says Smith, but there’s no firm commitment to when the Xbox store will be more open. Microsoft is also committing to keeping popular Activision Blizzard games like Call of Duty and Overwatch on PlayStation, too. This commitment will even extend to Nintendo, in what looks like a move to position Microsoft as a game publisher across Xbox, PlayStation, PC, and Nintendo Switch, beyond Minecraft and existing Bethesda games. It certainly feels like a strategic shift for Microsoft, even if it’s not clear when the Xbox store will be more open. Microsoft says it’s now building a “next-generation game store” based on these new principles. Could that include a reduction of its Xbox store cut? Possibly. This is something it has previously explored. Documents in the Epic v. Apple trial revealed Microsoft had been planning to reduce its Xbox store cut to just 12 percent, a move that would shake up console gaming. Instead, Microsoft shook up the PC gaming industry with its announcement last year to match the cut that Epic Games takes: 12 percent. It puts more pressure on Valve, which still takes a 30 percent cut on Steam purchases and was also designed to crank up the Apple pressure. A similar move on Xbox would have far-reaching consequences for console pricing, game development, marketing, and the future of subscriptions. Regulators will undoubtedly want more clarity on these open principles for the Xbox store, particularly as Microsoft is attempting to shift its business model toward subscriptions and its Xbox Game Pass service. Follow this thread on OUR Forum.