Chrome OS is Google’s attempt to bring the focus of modern computing away from physical apps and storage, and instead push it towards a more cloud-centric future. Of course the platform has come under criticism over the years for not being a “true OS and ecosystem” in the way that Windows, OSX or even Linux is. Despite its detractors, Chromebooks continue to gain in popularity and are a great tool for those that spend most of their time using the device for basic word processing, web browsing and web apps.
In recent times, Google has also made some pretty big changes allowing Chromebooks to be even more competitive, such as the introduction of desktop apps for Chrome and the introduction of Android apps to Chrome OS as well. Apparently this is just the beginning, as one of the biggest productivity apps in the desktop world is now making its way to the platform: Photoshop.
As you can imagine, there are some limitations here. First, this is a streaming version and will initially be available only to US-based Adobe education customers with a paid Creative Cloud membership. Adobe also says that this is the same “Photoshop you know and love”, although certain features that Photoshop normally relies on a computer’s GPU for will not be available in this version.
Considering the hardware specs of most Chromebooks and the fact that certain features of Photoshop won’t work with the streaming version, we imagine that this solution won’t exactly attract professional Photoshop users to the platform, but it could still be big news for occasional users or for those that simply want a back-up device for basic Photoshop use. Regardless, this is yet another major step in the right direction for Chrome OS as Google continues to close the functionality gap between Chromebooks and “traditional computers”.
Comments