The tech universe got an early Halloween shock Thursday dusk when a Wall Street Journal reported Google would “fold” Chrome OS into Android someday in a subsequent dual years.
The morning after, a law is looking murkier. Google itself has denied that Chrome OS is going away, and several other reports also explain a browser-based handling complement will hang around in some form.
What usually happened? Let’s dive into what we know.
Why this matters: Android and Chrome OS have lived corresponding for years, mostly in harmony. Android is optimized for phones and tablets. Chrome OS has touch capabilities though runs on laptops and desktops. While a lines between these device categories are blurring, with some-more common features opposite a dual platforms, a Journal’s news was a initial new denote that a full partnership was underway. And it was a initial to categorically call Chrome OS’s destiny into doubt.
Death of Chrome OS? Not so fast.
Almost immediately after a Journal’s strange report, opposing stories began to cocktail up. One unknown source told Business Insider that Chrome OS will live on as an choice alongside Android and “a third plan that combines a best of both.”
This story was shortly corroborated by Recode, that reported that Chrome OS will sojourn accessible for PC makers. But starting subsequent year, they’ll also be means to build Android-based PCs with Google’s blessing. Although we’ve seen some Android laptops and desktops before, right now a handling complement isn’t unequivocally optimized for rodent and keyboard use, and isn’t gainful to multitasking. Presumably that’s going to change in a future.
Another report by TechCrunch also doubtful that Chrome OS would be killed off, and on Thursday night, Google itself seemed to repudiate a strange story. “There’s a ton of movement for Chromebooks and we are really committed to Chrome OS,” Hiroshi Lockheimer, Google’s comparison clamp boss for Android and Chrome OS, wrote on Twitter. “I usually bought dual for my kids for schoolwork!”
Why keep Chrome OS around? As Recode notes, Chrome OS is some-more secure than Android (and Windows, for that matter). The sandboxed reserve of Chrome OS, along with a simplicity, has given Chromebooks and Chromeboxes traction in schools and during some businesses. Why take that away?
Still, Android is most some-more successful as a consumer product, and has a large app ecosystem that could advantage laptop and desktop users. Chrome, meanwhile, has never figured out how to do apps properly.
That’s because I’m prone to trust a follow-on reports observant Chrome OS will hang around. While it’s probable that Google’s denials are usually meant to assuage schools and businesses, chances are it’ll keep charity Chrome OS to them anyway. But on a consumer side, some laptop-friendly chronicle of Android—with facilities borrowed from Chrome OS—will be a improved option.
One some-more disclaimer: Even a Journal’s news claimed that one handling complement wouldn’t arrive until 2017. That’s dual years away, and it’s satisfactory to assume a lot could change between now and then. To call Chrome OS passed now would be a large jump to conclusions.