Google exec Eric Schmidt has reiterated multiple times 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 spoke to reporters this past March, did acknowledge that there might be more “overlap” between the two operating systems in the future.
Now as we’ve previously discussed on TG Daily, Android currently ranks as the world’s most popular mobile operating system for tablets and smartphones, with Apple’s versatile iOS following closely behind.
Meanwhile, 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 in March.
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, in the past Mountain View seems perfectly content keeping the two separate.
But that all might be changing, as Google recently added support for touchscreen to Chrome OS before rolling out its Chromebook Pixel laptop with a touchscreen display. And this week Google also added support for screen rotation, which seems to indicate that Google or one of its partners might be eyeing the release of a tablet running Chrome OS.
Indeed, there is no reason why Android and Chrome can’t benefit from each other’s development, a notion which Google definitely supports.
