Google is allegedly merging Chrome OS into Android

Google is apparently busy working on merging Android and Chrome OS, according to a new report today. Specifically, the company is trying to “turn Chrome OS into Android” for the sake of competing with the iPad.

That doesn’t make a lot of sense, but a lot of things Google does from time to time don’t, so it doesn’t mean it’s not true. An unnamed source says Google plans to “migrate Chrome OS fully over to Android”, whatever that means.

Back in June Google announced that Chrome OS would start using parts of Android, but this report now claims the merger will go even deeper than that.

We still don’t understand how this will make Google better compete with the iPad. iPads run iPadOS, basically an offshoot of iOS with some tablet-specific features. Google could have added such tablet-specific features to Android over the past few years. How exactly is Chrome OS going to help? Chrome OS is an OS designed for cheap laptops. iPads are expensive tablets – do you get our confusion?

Anyway, this is apparently a multi-year project so don’t expect anything to come out of it soon. When it’s done, future Chromebooks will run the new Android that integrates Chrome OS. Or something like that. Earlier today a rumor told us Google is working on a Pixel laptop, and that could run this new Android/Chrome OS mashup.

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