Google now offers two separate operating systems:
- Android OS – used by smartphones out there, ported by companies onto a bunch of other consumer electronic products including netbooks.
- Chrome OS – a browser-based operating system, which essentially lives within the browser. Oh, and people are starting to think of placing it on netbooks as well.
Why would any sane company go and invest their resources on two operating systems that just… do the same?
Which OS would you choose to use – Android or Chrome?
Android Vs. Chrome
Let’s look at the difference between these two operating systems, as this might shed some light on what their capabilities are exactly. Before I begin, here’s a short disclaimer – what I know about these operating systems is what I’ve read on the web:
| Android OS | Chrome OS | |
|---|---|---|
| Baseline | Linux | Linux |
| Visualization | ? | Chrome browser |
| Applications development | Java | Web technologies |
| Applications infrastructure | Download from Android Market | Browse to web pages |
| Main concept | Monetize over downloaded applications | Provide cloud services |
Some other things to consider:
- Both operating systems have built-in web browsers. The one in Android is used when the user feels like it; the one in Chrome is what you see at all times.
- Both operating systems are modified by the vendors who use them, effectively creating fragmentation. This is necessary as such vendors are embedding their own applications into the devices in order to create some differentiation from their competitors.
So Why Two?
For the life of me, I really can’t understand.
Android is quite capable of filling all consumer electronic niches for Google, so where does Chrome OS comes to play?
Couldn’t Google just add the missing pieces that they are pushing into Chrome and just place it in Android instead?
Wouldn’t that be easier for them and less confusing to us?
I’d really love to hear your thoughts about this one, as I am at a loss for words here.
I believe that Chrome is more than just an OS – it is one of the multiple ways to promote the Web (HTML/Javascript) as the universal application platform.
I’d say it is similar to the action of Chrome in the browser market – Google gets to showcase its vision of modern computing/web browsing – and that vision is a vision powered only by the web.
Because of that goal, Google does not need either Chrome or Chrome OS to have a large market share – it only needs to convince developers and users to adopt, for 80% of their needs, the web platform.
On the other hand, the goal of Android is to be a comptetitive platform for smartphones today. As such it must have (among other things) native apps.
And that’s the point – ultimately, Google wants to push a vision of computing, but an OS that would combine all the functionalities of Chrome OS into Android would not be an effective way of doing that: developers would simply neglect web apps in order to develop native applications.
As for the one that I would rather have on my netbook… I am waiting for a release of Chrome OS before choosing a side.
Tsahi: A few important differences between Android and Chrome. Android is targeted at mobile phones and Chrome PCs like netbooks. So Android needs to be low-power consumption, ability to work with weaker processors, Chrome needs a lot more compatibilty with external devices like printers, games, etc. and lots of driver support to compete with Windows.
Of course the core has lots of overlap and smart phones and netbooks are converging but still lots of different requirements based on the use case.
@jhominal – For some reason, I haven’t thought about it this way – thanks. My only problem is that developers want monetization, which today is done through an app store.
@scott – thanks for making the distinction of the need for additional drivers.
I’d say this though…
Today’s computing requires applications, which means Android OS rules. Android also has a web browser, so I can’t see the where is the compelling need for Chrome, which is an OS with no applications. Google could have just developed the drivers for Android and be done with it.
Wouldn’t it be simpler/smarter to make a single OS that can encompass the idea of applications (=Android) and have the missing drivers (=Chrome) ?
Tsahi
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