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In the wake of news that Android Apps are coming to Chrome OS, it seems there are numerous things in the works as OEM’s begin to shift plans for upcoming Chromebooks to take full advantage of all that the Play Store will bring to the table.
We reported a few weeks ago about the likelihood of an updated ASUS Chromebook Flip and just yesterday about the new Rockchip 3399 ARM processor boards being tested in the Chromium review channels. Among the commits we found another very, very interesting nugget of info.
According to this thread, pen support is being tested as an input method for an upcoming Chrome OS device. From yesterday’s article, the board/device is codenamed ‘Kevin’ and deploys the new Rockchip 3399 processor. We know very little apart from that, but it clearly points to the fact that we should start seeing Chromebooks (likely 2-in-1s or tablets) with some type of pen or stylus input.
Though Steve Jobs once famously uttered
If you see a stylus, they blew it.
we’ve seen a very clear and very real resurgence in pen input methods. From Samsung’s Galaxy Note line to Microsoft’s Surface, pen input has become a real, useful thing again. As most already know, Apple has even followed suit, opting for the awkwardly-named Apple Pencil as an official accessory to the iPad Pro.
All of this latest news from these commits points to one pretty awesome reality: Chrome OS devices are about to get much, much more interesting. Our bet is we will start seeing some of these new form factors in time for the back-to-school season with another wave coming in time for Christmas.
It’s an interesting time, Chrome fans.
