Android and Chrome OS will merge by 2017 (Reuters)
Rumors about Google merging its two operating systems, Chrome and Android, will finally come true according to a new report.
For the last two years, there have been reports of Google planning to merge its Chrome OS and Android, which has now been confirmed by a report from Wall Street Journal. Google will reportedly integrate its Chrome OS into Android by 2017 and the name "Chrome" will no longer be used. Chromebooks will continue to be available, but under a different name, while the Chrome browser will also continue to be available in the same name. This means that all functionalities of Chrome OS will be available in Android and apart from smartphones, the new most operating system will become available on other devices.
At first glance, the move to merge the two operating systems appears unnecessary, as Chromebooks have a loyal user base, particularly in educational institutions across the United States. However, Chromebooks are not so popular among the general public and have managed to achieve a market share of only 3 percent. On the other hand, Android dominates the mobile market with a share of about 78 percent and is also found running on the majority of tablets. Google's plan to merge Chrome OS and Android was also confirmed when the company recently launched its high-end tablet Pixel C, running on Android OS. Similar to Microsoft's Surface series of tablets, Google's Pixel C also comes with an optional keyboard that can be plugged into the Android powered tablet.
Back in 2009, Google's founder Sergey Brin had hinted at the possibility of the merger of Android and Chrome OS. "Android and Chrome will likely converge over time," said Brin. After Sundar Pichai took over in 2013, the first step to merge the two operating systems was taken by offering Android app support on Chrome. Recently, Pichai had told analysts, "Mobile as a computing paradigm is eventually going to blend with what we think of as desktop today."
