Google has not only announced many new products in the last few days but of course also continued the existing lines: The new Chrome OS 101 was released yesterday and brings two major changes to the operating system and Chromebooks that have already become apparent in the weeks before. The operating system now has a new name and an improved launcher.
Chrome OS 101 is here, and it brings two major innovations that will be with Chromebook OS users for a very long time. In addition to the revised launcher and the ability to pin floating windows, this also includes a new name for the operating system. Of course, one remains true to the Chrome family but still stands out a little from the browser. After the update, the new name can be seen on the boot screen.
The operating system is now officially called ChromeOS instead of Chrome OS as before. This may only be a small thing, but it shows a small disconnection from the browser. There are no spaces and the first letter is lowercase, which somehow reminds us of another company and its products. It is difficult to explain why Google is now taking a similar path to Apple.
Nevertheless, the official announcements still talk about “Chrome OS” everywhere, so it will be retained here in the blog for the time being. Perhaps this is also the beginning of a new naming scheme at Google, which could then also take effect on Android.
New Chrome OS launcher
The absolute highlight of this release: The new Chrome OS launcher. The basic concept remains true, but improvements have been made in many places. The first thing you notice is that the launcher is now on the left edge and no longer in the middle of the display. One can speculate whether it has something to do with the fact that the Windows start menu has moved from the left edge to the middle after more than 25 years. My Opinion: If Microsoft had left the menu on the left, Chrome OS would have kept it in the middle.
But not only the position has been changed, but also the display: The icons are a little smaller and have less spacing. A little bit of touch optimization has been taken out, underscoring the end of Chrome OS on tablets. The search bar above the listed apps has become much more flexible and is now able to display entire search results in the form of knowledge graphs or one box. This can be seen clearly in the above animation.
The new launcher for Chrome OS 100 was announced for the first time, but only with the update to version 101 will it be released to the general public.