Google has been maintaining Chrome OS and Android separately for a while now, with the former being used on desktop and laptop computers and the latter powering phones and tablets. Soon, though, Chrome OS and Android may become one.
A new report from the Wall Street Journal claims that Google is planning to fold Chrome OS into Android. Google engineers have reportedly been working on the project for a couple of years now, and they apparently made some solid progress recently. Google may show an early version of its single OS in early 2016, with a targeted ship date in 2017.
As for what’ll happen with this new version of Android, the report says that we’ll see Google’s green robot on PCs, complete with Google Play access. The goal here is to get Google apps and services onto as many devices ass possible and help developers get more exposure. Meanwhile, Chromebooks will get a new name that hasn’t yet been determined. The Chrome browser is expected to keep its name.
Folks have been wondering if Google would combine Chrome OS and Android for years now. Chrome OS has developed into a decent PC operating system, but it’s still got a small number of apps because developers don’t want to spend time developing for Chrome OS’s small user base. Folding Chrome OS into Android and using Android to power PCs will change that, because Android is the most widely used mobile OS in the world and it has a huge app library.
What will be interesting is seeing what changes, if any, Google makes to Android to adapt it to a PC environment. The OS can technically run on a big PC monitor, but its user interface is designed for smaller phone and tablet screens, so it might look kind of strange on a ginormous monitor.
What do you think of today’s news? Does a PC running Android interest you?
