Should Google continue to invest in the Chrome OS and Android OS separately or merge them at some point?

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Should Google continue to invest in the Chrome OS and Android OS separately or merge them at some point?

Asked at Google over a year ago

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productmanager123 · Answer 1 · 2021-06-01T22:01:32+0000

Clarification and assumptions:

Chrome OS - used for chromebooks

Android OS - used for smartphones and Tablets.

What are they meant for? How does it impact the key stakeholders - OEMs, users and developers?

OEMs: Make chromebook compliant devices.

Developers: Write chrome extensions. They work at browser level. So works on both chormebooks and normal desktops which have chrome browser

Users: Meant primarily as replacement for desktops since storage for most use cases is in cloud with google drive. Meant for casual desktop users, not for professionals who plan to desktop specific functionality which need application to be deployed locally.

Android OS: Primarily mobile focused and meant for mobile form factors. Dont think adoption of Android tablets is taking off.

So if we think of Chrome OS as addressing desktop and Andorid OS as addressing mobile use cases, then we are addressing very distinct needs. So keeping them separate makes sense. How big is the chomebook market compared to android tablet market?

Assumption: Android OS is heavier. Needs faster processors than ChromeOS for great customer experience.

Pros of merging. Assuming that we will bring Android OS to chomebooks, since teh other way around wont work.

1/ Common interface for users. Will be seamless from desktop to mobile. Would also open access to millions of apps on appstore. Much bigger than chrome OS store I think. Can have better UX -- on device apps can do a better job at processing client side. For e.g, Photoshop on the web is not great. But photoshop on device is quite good.

Privacy: Critical customer data does not leave the device. For e.g, payment info.

2/ Developers: Will get access to new users than mobile phones.

3/ OEMs: Will get access to more users.

4/ Google: Will reduce the need for maintaining a different product line.

Cons:

1/ OEMs: Have to introduce new devices which are more expensive to users.

2/ Users: Less secure compared to ChormeOS. Also, have to buy more expensive devices. Also, many apps are meant for mobile form factor. For e.g, Uber. Wont make sense for desktops.

3/ Developers: Android biggest problem is device fragmentation. With ChromeOS, that problem is nto tehre. Same problem will happen with Andorid on desktop. Even more devices to think and build for.

4/ Google: Keeping the control at ChomeOS is better for google. In android OS, developers gain more control. Also OEMs can install their one versin of Andorid, which is a known problem.

Strategically for Google, makes sense to keep them separate

Eli Marcus · Answer 2 · 2020-09-16T19:32:28+0000

Should Google Continue to invest in the Chrome OS and Android OS separately or merge them at some point ?

Clarifying questions

Chrome OS - is a web browsing based OS primarily used on Chromebooks, Correct? Yes

Android OS – is a cross platform OS that is primarily used on phones but also set top boxes and other applications? Yes

By merge them you mean brining them together into a single OS? Yes

Background as I understand it

Chrome OS is a web based OS primarily used on Chromebook it has a Linux kernel. The majority of apps built for Chrome OS are actually web based.

Android Is a cross platform OS primarily used on phones. it has a Linux kernel. The app eco system for android is much stronger. In fact a few years back I bought my son a specific Chromebook because it was on the early list of Chromebook that would have access to the android app store.

Framework

I’m going to go down a list of criteria and make something like a pro /con list.

Feature	Chrome OS	Android OS	Merge – Separate – Draw
Access to web browsing	Yes – chrome os is built around the browser	Yes – chrome itself is a separate app but on search I am taken into a bowser	Seems there is no advantage to keeping them separate – Merge
Access to productivity (docs, sheets, etc.)	Accessed via the web through the browser	Accessed via apps	Presumably the web access and app access have similar functionality – maintaining different access methods with low perceived value - Merge
Consumer cares			I don’t believe the average consumer cares or understands the difference. I do know that I own a phone, a tablet and a Chromebook and it is unclear why my chromebook is a different OS. Merge
Consumer usage	Although my Chromebook is touch screen, I rarely touch the screen. I have touchscreen windows notebooks as well and rarely touch the screen. I think this is likely the reason they were split in the 1st place	Android users interact with phones and tablets almost exclusively by touch	As long as the go forward merge allows users to use Chromebook by continuing to use keyboard and mouse I think this is a draw to slight merge.
3rd party manufacturers	Is operational via non touch. This is likely the original reason for the separation so that Chromebooks could be made without a touchscreen and more closely mirrored PC usage	It’s possible that Android OS works without touch, but I’ve never seen a smart phone or tablet that works that way.	Forcing all chromebook manufacturers to move to touchscreens will move the price point up. If the new merged OS continues to support non touch, then then is a draw to slight keeping things separate.
Competition			See above – if keeping them separate keeps the price point of chromebooks lower then this is a reason to keep them separate. However if the merged OS continues to allow users to use non touch on a chromebook then this is a draw to slight merge.
Google cost and Dev			Maintaining separate dev and code base is expensive – merge
Integration	Android apps have already been made to work on the chrome OS		merge

Recommendation

It seems likely that the original split in Android and Chrome OS was related to touch – with Chrome OS being a friendlier non touch OS. Outside of this difference it seems hard to understand the continued separation between the two. The “what” a consumer can do seems non differentiated. The “why” from a consumer standpoint seems non differentiated. Put that together with the fact chrome OS has worked to make integration points to the app store and it seems that google is maintaining two code bases that over time should likely be merged.

I think the big caveat will be that Chromebook usage will likely continue to be non-touch by choice of the user and this will need to be accommodated for via touch pad, mouse and keyboard.

Recommendation merge them at some point.