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A few months ago, there was a massive amount of news surrounding the oft-assumed merger of Chrome OS and Android into a new OS called Andromeda.
While we wrote extensively that we saw no real reason for this merger, rumors persist from time to time.
So do statements straight from Google SVPs, like Hiroshi Lockheimer. This latest is just another nail in the Andromeda coffin.
You can watch the whole episode of All About Android if you like; it is full of fun facts and cool things regarding the Android universe. But the part we’re talking about starts right around the 26:00 mark (and we’ve queued it up at that point for you). Have a look and listen.
While this discussion is mainly about Android, this part at 26:00 is a direct question to Hiroshi about the merger possibilities and differences in Chrome OS and Android.
While Lockheimer hits on the different starting points for Android and Chrome OS, he quickly gets to the heart of the question and clearly states (again, honestly) that there is no merger.
He even goes on to say that it doesn’t even make sense that the two would merge.
And when you consider it, really consider it for a second, he’s right.
Installed User Base
Consider that in Q1 of 2016 Chromebooks outshipped Macbooks in the US, there’s a solid user-base already existing that has only grown over the course of the year.
Add to that the dominance in the education sector (Chromebooks make up over 50% of that market, more than all other OS’s combined) and you have a lot of users invested in Chrome OS.
Now add Android, which holds a massive 88% market share globally, and you see why the idea of moving away from either of these platforms makes little sense whatsoever.
Straight From Google’s Mouth
From Hiroshi Lockheimer’s mouth in this interview:
…all these rumors about merging these things (Chrome OS and Android)…for us, there’s no point in merging them. They’re both successful. We just want to make sure that both sides benefit from each other. So, that’s why we brought the apps…Google Play from Android over to Chrome OS and then for instance, the update mechanism from Chrome OS to Nougat…You’ll see a lot more of that happening, where we’re sort of cross-pollinating, but not a merge.
So, once again we have the SVP over Chrome OS, Play, and Android (all the pieces in a supposed Andromeda merger) stating very clearly not only that there is no Andromeda merge happening, but also the fact that such a merge really makes no sense.
Chrome OS is here to stay, folks. If you are waiting around for a new, shiny operating system to show up, you may be waiting a long, long time. If you are a fan of the platform, rest easy. We’re not going anywhere any time soon.
