Chromebooks are reportedly getting a new feature that'll significantly expand their functionality and appeal among the PC crowd: being able to run Windows 10.
MacBooks are already capable of doing this via a feature called Boot Camp, and it appears Google wants the same thing for some Chromebook, too.
XDA Developers has learned, through source code, about "Campfire" the Boot Camp-like feature for Chromebook in question that would let Chrome OS dual-boot Windows 10. It will apparently be available in multiple "variants," meaning on more than one Chrome OS device. But that being said, it won't be available on all Chromebooks.
Chromebook Windows 10 Support Rumors
Manufacturers would have to verify that Windows 10 runs well first, which means Chromebook models that only have a small amount of flash storage won't be able to support it at all, at least not technically. Recent code comments suggest at least 40 GB of storage, which would put many Chromebooks with just 32 GB or less out of the picture.
The good news is that Chromebook users will find it easy to use Campfire. They wouldn't even need to enable Developer Mode or flash their firmware. There are hints that users would just need to invoke a simple command to trigger Campfire, which is a good thing to hear since dual-booting on other systems are often convoluted and complicated processes. It's nice to see Google take a more straightforward approach, which makes sense, considering most Chromebooks are not target at the tech-savvy crowd.
Google Chromebook Campfire Feature
When Google plans to release Campfire isn't exactly clear yet. Just note that a company's plans can always change, and there's always a possibility that it decides not to go through with the feature if it ends up causing more harm than good. Google is expected to reveal its latest Pixel handsets along with a bunch of new stuff in early October, which could be the time Google shows off Campfire.
The exact status of the feature, however, remains unclear. But what's clear is that the addition of Windows 10 on Chromebooks represents a major shift in Google's strategy as it usually touts Chrome OS as a much simpler and more straightforward operating system than Windows 10 and macOS.
Campfire should hopefully satisfy the needs of consumers who find Chromebook devices appealing but want to be able to run Windows 10 on them if they need to. How this will affect sales remains to be seen, but it's clear Google keeps trying aggressively to get a stronger grip on the laptop market.
