Google is working on an Android and Chrome OS merge, so goes a report from the The Wall Street Journal. It said Google will show an early version in 2016, but the unified platform will be in 2017, and will run on PCs, while Chromebooks will be renamed.
The merger has been ongoing for "roughly two years" with "Android" as the final product. It will be Android with Chrome OS as an integral part of it, reported Ars Technica.
The current browser-only Chrome OS is struggling to get the app ecosystem which Google Play and Android have been doing well. Android is getting all the software innovation from Google for years while Chrome remains a browser, with minimal exciting features.
The unification of Android and Chrome will have a lot of changes on Android as the mobile platform is not good when working with a keyboard, mouse or touchpad plus a major change to work on a hardware adept to Chrome style. When it comes to updates, Chrome has a seamless, silent and controlled type of update that is manageable and bombproof while Android is not scalable.
According to WSJ, the Android and Chrome OS merge is a sign of mobile computing's growing dominance. Android is the most used mobile operating system in the world. It powers more than a billion phones and devices manufactured by many firms. Chrome runs in laptops, especially Chromebooks, as well as personal computers.
Google brought Chrome OS to the Web so devices will have the browser-centered experience, so users can access any app and software through it. Chrome and Android were simultaneously pushed through as the company did not know which one would click. Eventually, Android prevailed.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai told analysts last week that "mobile computing" will eventually merge with what the people think now as a desktop tech. The Android and Chrome OS merge is similar to Microsoft Corporation's approach with Windows 10 which versions are created for PCs and phones so apps will run on all devices.
On the other hand, Apple Inc. remains with the same setup for unique OS for devices - iOS for tablets and phones and OS X for Macs. CEO Tim Cook said blending platforms "subtracts from both, and you don't get the best experience from either."
