One OS to rule them all: Why Google will merge Android and Chrome OS
Android, Google鈥檚 operating system for mobile phones and tablets, and Chrome OS, its operating system for laptop computers, will soon be merged into one piece of software, The Wall Street Journal. Two people familiar with the matter told the Journal that Google engineers have been working on combining the operating systems since 2013, and that the company might show off an early version of the new OS next year.
Android is far and away the most popular mobile operating system, and in fact, it鈥檚 the dominant OS of any kind worldwide. Research firm Gartner in January that 1.1 billion Android devices were shipped in 2014 鈥� almost as many as iOS phones and tablets, Mac and Windows computers, and all other devices combined.
By contrast, Chrome OS accounted for of laptop sales in 2014, and while top-shelf Chrome OS computers such as the Chromebook Pixel exist, most of those sales were sub-$300 models.
Google鈥檚 approach to combining the operating systems is essentially to fold Chrome OS in to Android. But that鈥檚 no small task.
Android needs to be modified so that it can run smoothly on laptop and desktop computers, which means supporting keyboard and mouse input, allowing for much larger displays, and letting the system take advantage of high-end graphics cards. Apps sold through the Google Play Store would also need to be able to run on computers.
In the long term, however, combining Android and Chrome OS into a single operating system will make things simpler for Google, because the company won鈥檛 have to support and develop two different software platforms. It should also make things easier for users, since they鈥檒l be able to use a single operating system across phones, tablets, laptops, and desktops. That鈥檚 the route Microsoft started down with Windows 8 and continued in Windows 10, which employs 鈥�universal apps鈥� that run on tiny phone screens and brawny desktop PCs alike.聽
Anonymous Google spokespeople told the Journal and tech site The Verge that and that the company will continue to manufacture laptops, though those machines will probably have a different name once the software merge happens.
On Friday, Hiroshi Lockheimer, senior VP of Android and Chrome OS at Google鈥檚 parent company Alphabet , 鈥淭here鈥檚 a ton of momentum for Chromebooks and we are very committed to Chrome OS. I just bought two for my kids for schoolwork!鈥�
That means that Chrome OS features probably won鈥檛 disappear entirely as the software is folded in to Android 鈥� instead, Google will try to combine the strengths of both operating systems to create something that鈥檚 reasonably pleasant to use no matter what size screen you鈥檙e on.
