TECH

Chrome OS Announces Feature for iPhone Users: iPhones Will Be Able to Share Internet via USB Tethering

Perhaps the journey we move towards today is integration. While in the past we have seen excellent products from individual manufacturers, one device network is yet to establish itself. Be it the iPhone with its excellent camera, it still can not share photos over Bluetooth or wifi direct with android phones. Similarly, while the world shifts towards USB type C, Apple is railing with two different power ports: Lightning ports and USB type C.
What people really want though is a world in which they are not bound by brand labels but by certain limits of technology. Maybe many people can remember every Iron Man movie (if you do not, RDJ judges you). Tony was nonchalantly projecting his phone literally anywhere. Now imagine if it was bound by branded tags. Imagine Jarvis showing an error saying his Samsung could not connect to the Apple TV. I fail to see why we can not give in to a completely integrated world. Instead, we give in to this capitalist market which mooches off of us at every corner. Coming back to the epitome of otherisation, we look over Apple once again. There are a couple of really good features and pieces of technology the company has to offer. And while not everyone may be an Apple fanboy, they would love to share this with those who are. Similarly, Google came up with its Chrome OS. Although relatively not that old, the operating system has attained a fancy number of users. Perhaps it is through Chrome OS that Android manages to otherize Apple. It is this reversal of roles that creates dichotomy in the market.

USB Tethering on Chrome OS
Users may be interested to know that while they may just plug in their iPhones to share the internet, Chrome OS reserves these rights. While users still have the choice to share the internet via Wifi Hotspot, saving battery life and plugging in your phone would not be an option. While I may have sympathy for Apple in this case, the pseudo-technological war dictates that this is quite necessary. Only by taking up these steps that we see companies accommodating their users and forming integrations with brands. USB tethering allows users to connect to computers via wire's connection to give internet connection In the case of USB tethering though, a recent report by 9to5Google suggests that the feature may be coming to Chrome OS soon. According to the report, the Chromium commit mentions that while the personal hotspot is a solution to the existing problem, it does not offer a streamlined passage as a wired connection. Perhaps even people would agree that something small should not be holding certain users back from buying Chrome Books.
Currently, if users were to connect their iPhones to the Chrome device, they would only see the devices loaded as an external disk and nothing more. Ethernet capabilities would not be available. According to the report, developers are trying to allow this integration, opening doors to new consumers and a new market base.
Conclusion
Perhaps, this would be a good step by Google. We should applaud a welcoming step like these by companies. Not only would it serve iPhone users, but it would also open up a new consumer base for Google's Chrome OS. From a user's perspective, saving some battery gains would be beneficial too. In today's day and age, something like "lack of support" should not hold users back. This is so 2010 of Google. Heck! even Apple does not impose such extreme measures on its operating system (ignoring the need for Android File transfer just to access Android phones).
As of now, we are uncertain when this patch would allow iPhone users to be able to share internet via USB tethering. But, rest assured, since it is announced, it would arrive to the operating system in the new future. By Sarmad Burki