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Google: We're Not Killing Chrome OS

 & Chloe Albanesius Executive Editor, News

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Google today shot down reports that it will fold Chrome OS into Android.

"While we've been working on ways to bring together the best of both operating systems, there's no plan to phase out Chrome OS," Hiroshi Lockheimer, SVP Android, Chrome OS, and Chromecast, wrote in a blog post.

The denial comes after The Wall Street Journal last week reported that Google would tease a combined OS next year before a 2017 launch.

Google has separate desktop and mobile operating systems: Chrome OS for Chromebooks comes with its own branded Web browser and PC-based software, while Android powers smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, TVs, and in-car infotainment. The paper said Google initially nurtured Chrome OS and Android because it wasn't sure which OS would succeed. Android, however, prevailed, and a combined OS would allow PC users to access the Google Play store and lessen app developers' workload.

Lockheimer initially addressed the report via Twitter, where he said Google is "very committed to Chrome OS." In today's blog post, he laid out the operating system's successes and teased a few things that are in the works.

That includes the Asus Chromebit, which puts Chrome OS on a dongle that you plug into a display. Google first announced it in March, and it will arrive "in the next couple weeks" for $85.

Google will also "release even more features for Chrome OS, such as a new media player, a visual refresh based on Material Design, improved performance, and of course, a continued focus on security," Lockheimer wrote. "With our regular six-week software cycle and guaranteed auto-updates for five years, Chromebooks keep getting better over time."

For 2016, Google also has "dozens of new Chromebooks" in the works, he concluded.

About Our Expert

Chloe Albanesius

Chloe Albanesius

Executive Editor, News

My Experience

I started out covering tech policy in DC for The National Journal, where my beat included state-level tech news and all the congressional hearings and FCC meetings I could handle. I later covered Wall Street trading tech before switching gears to consumer tech. I now lead PCMag's news coverage.

My Areas of Expertise

Getting my start in DC means I still have a soft spot for tech policy; Congressional hearings can sometimes be as entertaining as a Bravo reality show, for better or worse. But PCMag is all about the technology we use every day, as well as keeping an eye out for the trends that will shape the industry in the years ahead (or flop on arrival). I've covered the rise of social media, the iOS vs. Android wars, the cord-cutting revolution that's now left us with hefty streaming bills, and the effort to stuff artificial intelligence into every product you could imagine. This job has taken me to CES in Vegas (one too many times), IFA in Berlin, and MWC in Barcelona. I also drove a Tesla 1,000 miles out west as part of our Best Mobile Networks project. Of late, my focus is on our hard-working team of reporters at PCMag, guiding and editing their robust coverage.

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