We are just a few weeks into 2017 and things in the Chrome OS world have been pretty crazy already. We’ve seen the ASUS Chromebook Flip and Samsung Chromebook Pro show up and already seen signs of detachables on the horizon.
Though those earlier stories about detachable, tablet-style Chromebooks were simply software commits, they were never tied to an actual device.
For as long as we’ve covered Chromebooks, the desire for a Chrome OS tablet and/or detachable has been basically insatiable by our readers. For whatever reason, people want a tablet with Chrome OS.
With the Android arrival happening in just a couple weeks, the timing couldn’t be better. Where Chrome OS tablets didn’t make a ton of sense before the Play Store, they make so much sense at this point it is almost silly.
I won’t go into depth about that here, but we’ve expanded thoughts on Chrome OS and tablets here if you want to read more.
Here’s The Proof
Right now, I want to show you a few commits that show ‘Poppy’ will be a detachable Chromebook.
First, in this commit, we have clear reference to ‘Poppy’ and a detachable UI. Likely, this stuff is for development use, but it is a clear link to ‘Poppy’ and detachable interface pieces.
This second commit isn’t quite as clear, but what we see is reference to quick keys for entering developer mode. Normally, this is done with keyboard buttons, but here we are seeing the volume and power buttons being used instead.
Think about it. A tablet won’t always have a keyboard handy, so developer mode needs a way to launch using the keys available. The keys always present on a tablet are power, volume up and volume down.
Another sign pointing to a tablet/detachable form factor.
We don’t know much else about ‘Poppy’ at this point, other than the fact that it will be a Skylake-powered device. Rest assured, however, we will be keeping a very close eye on this one.
