Recent industry speculation centres around the future direction of Android and Chrome OS.
In recent years, Android has continued to mature while extending itsreach to tablet-sized devices, with many refinements and improvements being released over time. Additionally the computing power and storage capacity of these devices has seen leaps and bounds where most recent devices are now capable of some very formidable computing capabilities.
At present, Google’s Chrome OS continues to be focused on the Chromebook form factor, utilising web-based applications with a more lightweight approach to processing and storage capabilities on most devices. With the ongoing evolution of Android, many industry analysts are pointing to a potential convergence of the two operating systems with interesting (albeit speculative) arguments. In this context, there will be significant implications for large customers that have already made investments either in the Android or Chrome OS platforms along with any related backend platforms or systems to support line of business app deployments.
Both operating systems have their merits and shortcoming. It is clear, however, that the complexity of maintaining both platforms and needing to bolster app development interest across the two is an unknown in the long term, and ultimately something Google may not have full control over. Perhaps Google is biding its time to see how well received the new Microsoft Windows 10 offering will be across different device form factors.
With the cellular evolution in carrier networks, devices and the ever declining cost of mobile data, we now have an open road for some truly astounding technology and capabilities in our hands. While there is currently no official confirmation from Google, this will be a hot topic for enterprises to keep an eye on.
