Google competes with itself – Android vs. Chrome
Since the inception of Android, with many different versions available and the numerous hardware devices that now carry Android as the OS what is next for the search engine giant Google?
Rumours have been circulating that Google is creating the Chrome OS for the tablet PC market. If that is the case then will Chrome replace Android on mobile devices. It seems to reason that the desktop version of the Chrome OS would be adapted to better suit a tablet format with touch screen functionality. As a user of Google Chrome browser I like the speed and flexibility but it does use quite a bit of memory. The Chrome tablet version of the OS would definitely have to lighter as to not consume the heavy resources that the desktop version does.
If Google Chrome for tablets is released what would be the adoption from the major hardware players that have already adopted Android will they shift away from Android development, probably not as their investments already run deep in this aspect. Will users make the switch, will it be user friendly, will Google throw the same marketing and development of furthering the OS, will it keep Android, will Android be unified into one version, will the developer community accept the new mobile OS, what type of commitment can we expect from Google to further develop partners and programmers to their platform ? After all, the app store available through the Android marketplace is diverse and well represented. How long may the same type of marketplace for a Chrome OS take to build to equal the current Android App market ? This will all depend on adoption that start s with consumer and will creep into the enterprise as we are seeing from the current tablet market now.
If Google continues with the Chrome OS does it shift away from Android and risk losing all the users of Android now ? Based on the sheer number of mobile devices using Android it is not inconceivable that there may be a backlash from consumers from the smartphones to Chrome based tablets. Then there is the issue of introducing a new mobile OS to the market. The key OS’s that are in existence already being used are QNX for Blackberry, Apple iOS, Windows 7, Android and if Chrome is to enter the market will it further muddy the waters for manufacturers to see which OS to put on their mobile device ?
Being an enterprise level provider with Google Apps and now Google +, will developers and companies adopt the new OS at an enterprise level, will it hinder or help security efforts around corporate infrastructures and IT strategies, will this Google the chance to further entrench itself into the enterprise ? These questions will be answered by time and adoption. As can be seen, more questions have surfaced than questions have been answered, time will tell as how this will play out.
Eval-Source is an Analyst/Consulting consulting firm that offers enterprise software evaluation, cloud computing consulting, business process optimization and technology planning for organizations. Our innovative professional services make your life easier whether it is to acquire enterprise software or provide you with fact – based information to match your business with IT. Eval-Source provides critical decision support to validate your technology investments using the Tru-Eval system. Follow our blog at www.eval-source.com/blog or on twitter @eval_source or our site http://www.eval-source.com