After seeing the announcements for Chrome for Android and desktop, it’s no surprise then that we see an update for Chrome OS today. The latest update brings it up the version 47 release (version 47.0.2526.74 (Platform version: 7520.55.0) for those keeping score at home) and brings with it a number of new features and enhancements, particularly for touchscreen devices. This new build has been released by Google and it is for all devices. That means over the course of the next couple of days you should see this update hit your Chromebook, Chromestick or Chromebox. If you want to force the issue, go to Settings>About Chrome OS and manually check for an update. Sometimes it will take a few tries to get it but eventually you will – or you can just wait for the OTA.
As with any update to Chrome OS, there are security and performance improvements in this build. Google does not specifically call out what fixes were provided in the update but likely are tied to many of the security fixes that were found in the Chrome browser update earlier this week. One performance update that was mentioned was the improved YouTube CPU useage on the latest generation of Intel devices with a specific note of noticeable gains in 60fps videos.
Chrome OS Now More Touch Friendly
A lot of the changes and new features in this update are around making the platform more touch friendly. For example, the virtual keyboard gesture typing is now available on touch screen devices as well as a new delete text and select text gestures for touch devices. This should make Chrome OS a bit better on these types of devices and less mouse/trackpad driven, which is somewhat the
Chrome OS
point of touch screens. If you have a touchscreen Chromebook or Chromebox, this update really should make your life a lot easier and allow you to take more advantage of the touchscreen.
Other improvements in this update include the ability to add to shelf banners for bookmark apps and the creation of a new hotkeys to replace combinations that conflicted with web pages.
Look for this update to hit your Chrome powered devices soon.
