MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA- Google Inc., (NASDAQ: GOOG) A new report has surfaced suggesting that the search giant is planning to merge its Chrome OS web-only software with its mobile operating system, Android.
Google first talked about the ChromeOS operating system back in the July of 2009, while current Google CEO, Sundar Pichai, called the product at the time as an “attempt to re-think what operating systems should be.”.
More specifically Pichai stated:
“Google Chrome OS is a new project, separate from Android. Android was designed from the beginning to work across a variety of devices from phones to set-top boxes to netbooks. Google Chrome OS is being created for people who spend most of their time on the web, and is being designed to power computers ranging from small netbooks to full-size desktop systems. While there are areas where Google Chrome OS and Android overlap, we believe choice will drive innovation for the benefit of everyone, including Google.”
Six years after, the Wall Street Journal reports that the Mountain View-based company will be folding the Chrome OS into its Android mobile OS by 2017. The report also mentions that the particular project has been under the works for two years now. Google has confirmed the incident to VentureBeat news outlet as well.
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The reason regarding Google’s decision to kill off Chrome OS is the fact that the rapid growth of demand for pure mobile devices has certainly outstripped the need for lightweight desktop environments like Chrome OS itself.
In case you are not familiar, Chrome OS, in a nutshell, is an operating system whose code is based on the Linux kernel and designed by the Search giant in order to work with web apps and installed applications. The software’s final installment is set to be released during 2017; presumably a few months before it merges with Android.
Google has not issued any official statement regarding the way that Chrome OS will be fitted into Android yet. Overall, we assume that the move is part of Google’s recently refreshed portfolio, under the new mother company which is Alphabet Inc.
Moreover, on a less relevant note, for those worrying, the Chrome browser won’t be affected from this update whatsoever.
Do you own a Chrome OS powered laptop? Let us know in the comments below.
Via: VentureBeat, Wikipedia
Source: Wall Street Journal
Featured image credit: ComputerWorld
