Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt has confirmed that Mountain View’s mobile Android operating system and web-centric Chrome OS will remain two distinct entities, at least for now.
However, Schmidt, who was speaking to reporters in India, did acknowledge that there might be more “overlap” between the two operating systems in the future.
Android currently ranks as the world’s most popular mobile operating system for tablets and smartphones, with Apple’s versatile iOS following closely behind.
Google’s Chrome OS can best be described as web-centric operating system that debuted on July 7, 2009, with the first Intel-based Chromebooks shipping on June 15, 2011.
Since then, the Chrome concept has only increased in popularity, with Samsung launching a versatile ARM-powered Chromebook, and Google rolling out its indigenously designed touch-screen Chromebook Pixel last month.
It is probably worth noting that a number of analysts believe an Android-Chrome convergence is inevitable and perhaps it is at some point in the not-so-distant future. However, for now, Mountain View seems perfectly content keeping the two separate.
And why not? Mobile users have little problem downloading apps to their phone, while Chrome OS appeals to a totally different demographic, one that admittedly is dev heavy and not exactly mainstream. Still, there is no reason why Android and Chrome can’t benefit from each other’s development, a notion which Google definitely supports.
