Google wants to clear the air from rumors that it will merge Chrome OS and Android into a single operating system. Unfortunately, Google's own statements do not categorically deny a phase-out of its operating system for Chromebooks, instead fueling further speculation that Chrome OS and the Chromium project it is based on will eventually fade away.
Hiroshi Lockheimer, senior vice president for Android, Chrome OS and Chromecast, says in a blog post that Google has no plans of killing Chrome OS at the present, adding that more features for the OS are in the pipeline, including a Material Design makeover to make it look more like Android, a new media player, and security and performance improvements. Furthermore, Lockheimer says Google will continue to provide support for Chrome OS until 2020, and "dozens" of new Chromebook models are scheduled for release next year.
"With our regular six-week software cycle and guaranteed auto-updates for five years, Chromebooks keep getting better over time," Lockheimer says. "Finally, stay on the lookout for dozens of new Chromebooks in 2016."
There’s a ton of momentum for Chromebooks and we are very committed to Chrome OS. I just bought two for my kids for schoolwork!
— Hiroshi Lockheimer (@lockheimer) October 30, 2015
The statement comes perhaps in an effort to allay businesses and schools' fears that Google will fold a relatively secure Chrome OS into Android, notorious for its numerous security holes and bugs. Every day, some 30,000 Chromebooks are activated in U.S. classrooms, according to Lockheimer, and introducing a new Chrome-droid hybrid could easily cause Google to lose its biggest Chromebook market.
However, Google does not actually say it is not considering folding Chrome OS into Android in the future. Lockheimer points out that Google is "working on ways to bring together the best of both operating systems" and to "redefine the different forms Chrome OS can take." In fact, even as Lockheimer attempts to quell down the rumors, he says Chrome OS just received a little bit more of Android with the inclusion of support for Android apps on Chromebooks through Apps Runtime on Chrome (ARC).
The lack of a definitive stance on the issue will likely give rise to more speculation that first arose when the Wall Street Journal reported that Google is planning to integrate Chrome OS into Android in 2017, with preview versions of the hybrid software slated to appear next year. Perhaps, while Chrome OS and Android will remain separate systems, Google could work on a third OS that effectively combines the best of both worlds.
