The Wall Street Journal announced last week what many had already suspected, namely that in 2017 Google will be merging Android and Chrome OS into a single operating system under the Android umbrella. According to WSJ’s sources, the transition has been in the works for two years now, with “significant progress” recently. Though the final build is scheduled another two years out, Google will release a preview in 2016.
Speculation that Google had a grand vision for the unification of the operating systems began when Chrome OS gained the ability to run Android apps, but became widespread when current Google CEO Sundar Pichai, then Andy Rubin’s replacement as the head of Android, was put in charge of the Chrome OS team in addition to his Android leadership role. Ever since Android and Chrome OS have had the same boss, we’ve been patiently waiting for and predicting how Google will converge the two.
When one considers the respective weaknesses of Android and Chrome OS, and the areas where they aren’t optimized, it isn’t hard to imagine how the merger will manifest. Chrome OS is a great distillation of the quintessential desktop experience that PCs have offered for years, one that tablets running pared-up mobile operating systems have failed to best, or even replicate. Despite the productivity app suites offered on tablet app stores, stylus peripherals (now including Apple’s Pencil), and multi-window app views, tablets are just not the tool of choice when it comes to getting work or any remotely complex tasks accomplished. They serve their purpose as far as entertainment, browsing, or gaming goes, but they fall short of being the one-size-fits-all productivity solution that laptops have proven to be.
Fortunately, Google sensed this and created Chrome OS (in addition to its reason for existing as a response to the failure of netbooks). Chrome OS sits at the opposite end of the spectrum; a speedy, fast-booting productivity workspace with access to Google Docs, Drive, and any web app you could imagine, but with little support for entertainment or gaming aside from some frustratingly choppy Netflix and YouTube playback.
With the unification of Google’s two operating systems, we can finally have the best of both worlds. On tablets, this could finally pave the way for some truly one-size-fits-all devices, a trend we are starting to see with Microsoft’s Surface Book. Imagine a tablet that could run all of the Android apps you already use, and when docked in the external keyboard attachment, becomes a fully-functional Chromebook. The benefits for smartphones, while less dramatically use case-changing, are still evident. Android users may finally be able to install Chrome extensions in their browsers. Perhaps Google will design a new multi-window paradigm on mobile that works more efficiently than the current list-of-app-screenshots system. The possibilities are rich.
As far as the current Chromebook experience goes, Google will likely work to further integrate Android apps in the operating system as a more natural user experience, as they are currently rather siloed programs.
Chrome OS and Android have each offered their own benefits and drawbacks for various uses, and Google is smartly recognizing that integrating the two can only maximize the utilities of both under a single software experience. As we anticipate the preview coming next year, it will be interesting to see how Google paves the way for the transition, both on engineering/infrastructure and marketing levels.
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