A new report in The Wall Street Journal indicates that Google plans to merge Chrome OS and Android by 2017. Chrome OS is the operating system that currently runs on Chromebooks. Chromebooks will get a new name and an android-based operating system, which will also run on PCs, according to the report.
Google has not officially confirmed the news, but the company has taken several steps to bridge the gap between Chrome OS and Android.
Last year, Google began rolling out Android apps that could run on Chromebooks and later opened it up to any Android developer. Also, Android users who have Chromebooks are able to unlock their devices using their smartphones.
Chromebooks are popular in schools, but the Chrome-based devices are not nearly as popular Android devices. As such, rebranding these devices, which tend to be cheaper than most laptops and premium tablets, under the Android name could potentially attract more users to the platform.
