Google may have a radical plan to beat Apple’s iPad: turn ChromeOS into Android and take over the tablet world
- Google apparently plans to convert ChromeOS to Android
- This new operating system could be the best of both worlds for tablets
- It could be the operating system that will power a rumored Pixelbook laptop
Google could be planning to completely overhaul ChromeOS and essentially turn it into Android, in an effort to build an operating system better suited to tablets – and steal iPad buyers from Apple.
Android Authority claims to have a source (an anonymous source as always) describing a new initiative at Google, a multi-year project to effectively port ChromeOS to Android.
This would bring some obvious advantages: instead of working with two operating systems, desktop (well, laptop) and mobile, Google would just have to develop one multi-platform operating system.
And it would address a serious problem that Google has faced: the failure of Android, as it stands, to capture enough tablet market share, and especially premium tablets, where Apple’s iPad plays a big role. This is an area where hybrid 2-in-1 Chromebooks have also failed to make a meaningful impact.
So the idea would be to forge a new path forward, one that makes better use of the development resources at Google.
The question is what exactly the end result could look like, especially since it’s still in its early stages and Google itself probably doesn’t know yet – assuming this rumor is true at all. Or it’s an idea that Google is currently tossing around, but will eventually fall by the wayside.
As Android Authority expects will happen, this involves migrating ChromeOS to the Android platform – while obviously retaining enough of the desktop version of the current incarnation of ChromeOS to make it suitable for laptops and tablets.
Analysis: An AI-infused Pixel laptop running Android?
Interestingly enough, we recently heard a separate rumor about Google thinking about the resurrection of its Chromebook Pixel laptop range, which was canned quite a while ago. So the further theory is that this future laptop could run the new version of Android on ChromeOS when (or rather) it eventually arrives.
How likely does this new rumor seem? It may be a more solid prospect than it would otherwise be, simply due to the fact that Google is already moving in this direction. We saw evidence of this earlier in 2024 when the company merged parts of the Android operating system with ChromeOS.
So the Android-ification of ChromeOS is actually already happening, and guess what one of the main drivers here is? When you say AI, give yourself a pat on the back, because yes, what’s currently being ported – which includes building the Android Linux kernel and Android frameworks into ChromeOS – is about ensuring that AI features can benefit Chromebooks . In a broader sense, though, it’s easy to imagine that this is exactly the path this rumor marks as Google’s ultimate destination.
So if we imagine a future Chromebook Pixel, or Pixelbook perhaps, it could run what is essentially a desktop-oriented variant of Android, and will likely be packed with AI features. Now that Google also gets the benefit of an operating system that actually fits on a tablet – and in some ways misses the mark, like Android for tablets or hybrid Chromebook tablets (2-in-1 devices) on ChromeOS, neither of which are ideal for a slate.
At that point, the battle to challenge the iPad could shift into high gear. (Apple has more than half of the tablet market, around 55%, according to the latest global market figures from Statcounter – but the higher end will be an even clearer win for Tim Cook’s company).
This seems to be the working theory for now, but it’s still too early for these rumors – and even if Google is thinking along those lines, who knows where the development of these projects could lead (if anywhere).
