In spite of Android’s Andy Rubin handing the reigns of Android over to Google Chrome’s Sundar Pichai, Eric Schmidt said that there are no plans to merge Chrome and Android anytime in the near future. I just dropped a lot of names there, so let’s recap a bit:
- Andy Rubin – Co-founder of Android, and in charge of Google’s Android division until recently.
- Sundar Pichai – The guy who’s in charge of Google Apps, Google Chrome, and now Android.
- Eric Schmidt – Google’s current chairman and former CEO
In spite of our speculation that a merge could be imminent, this really shouldn’t come as a shock. Google has long argued that Android and Chrome OS fill different consumer needs, and Chrome on Android – indeed, Android itself – has a long way to go until it can match the performance Chrome OS or Chrome on the desktop.
Additionally, Microsoft maintains two separate OSes (currently Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8), as does Apple (OS X and iOS). As a main competitor to both of these companies, it’s only natural that Google maintain a desktop OS, as well.
In any case, I still wouldn’t be surprised to see Chrome OS eventually gaining the ability to run Android apps, perhaps in a virtual environment. I also wouldn’t be surprised to see Chrome for Android eventually gaining the ability to run a limited number of extensions. But at least we have confirmation that a true merger of the two OSes is a long time coming, if at all.
[Reuters via Slash Gear]
