Google ‘to merge’ Chrome OS with Android

Google is merging its Chrome operating system for PCs in with its Android mobile operating system, according to the Wall St Journal, citing unnamed sources.

According to the Journal, Google engineers have been preparing the move for the past two years, in order to deliver a new single unified operating system by 2017. Google plans to showcase an early version of the new OS next year, according to one of the sources cited by the paper.

Google OS was seen as an innovative approach to computing, intended to bring a browser-centric experience to thin-client devices where users accessed software through the Chrome browser. However, the Android system has secured vastly greater penetration, and Google now wants to extend the Android app ecosystem to more devices, according to the Wall St Journal.

Once the changes have been put into effect, Chromebooks will be renamed, while the Chrome name will be reserved for the Google internet browser.