This one’s being doing the rounds for years now, but I still think it is worth talking about as merging Android and ChromeOS does make a lot of sense.
Why? Simple: it gives Google some serious reach into spaces currently dominated by Apple and Microsoft with their respective iPads and Surface machines.
But will it happen this year?
Honestly, I have no idea. But I am 100% sold on the Android Andromeda concept.
For those that don’t know, Android Andromeda is a merger of Android and Chrome OS that Google has reportedly been working on for a while. Matter of fact, back in October 2015 the Wall Street Journal revealed that Google is set to merge the two operating systems by 2017.
As the WSJ reported: “Alphabet Inc. ’s Google plans to fold its Chrome operating system for personal computers into its Android mobile operating system, according to people familiar with the matter, a sign of the growing dominance of mobile computing. Google engineers have been working for roughly two years to combine the operating systems and have made progress recently, two of the people said. The company plans to unveil its new, single operating system in 2017, but expects to show off an early version next year, one of the people said.”
But as Google has made virtually zero reference to Andromeda’s future, that 2017 date is in doubt. However, Google could surprise everyone at I/O and announce there will actually be NO Android O and instead all devices going forwards will have Android Andromeda on them.
I don’t really get what Google is up to here. Apple and Microsoft are both making HUGE inroads into people’s lives with their iPad Pro and Surface machines, which champion hybrid functionality – i.e. bringing together tablet and laptop functionality.
Google has a brilliant OS in the form of ChromeOS that it could easily splice into Android to create similar experiences. I’m a huge advocate of ChromeOS and I’d love to see something like an iPad Pro come out of Google’s labs.
Why bring Android apps to ChromeOS if you’re not thinking about merging the two platforms on some true, next-generation hybrid devices?
