Is Google spreading itself too thin with Android and Chrome? [RETROSPECTIVE]
With Google I/O 2011 in the rear view mirror, I have been thinking a lot about an issue that seemed front-and-center just a year ago, but was relatively absent from this year’s media coverage of the annual developer conference. It has to do with Google’s two operating systems. If we rewind the clock to early 2010, before the CR-48 netbook even existed, the big question was how would Android and Chrome co-exist, let alone thrive, in a market shifting towards portable, internet-connected devices. Of course, back then it wasn’t known how Google planned to deploy Chrome.
Some wondered which operating system would be Google’s focus for tablets, a hot technology in the wake of the original iPad. Would Chrome be on tablets? Would Android be on tablets, too? The tablet seemed the key to success (and very well still could be), and if Google neglected to get Android on tablets in favor of Chrome many wondered if that would be a major blow for the mobile OS in its fight against Apple.
A year later, we have a better idea of what Google is doing with their two platforms. For now, the tech giant seems content to leave Chrome as an OS for non-touchscreen devices. This year’s I/O brought two new netbooks — one from Acer and one from Samsung — dubbed Chromebooks and due this summer. We were also teased with a desktop Chromebox, though release plans weren’t announced. Since May 2010, Android has split off into two branches, one for tablets (Honeycomb) and one for smartphones (Gingerbread). The plan is to unify the experience in an upcoming release, Ice Cream Sandwich, which is slated for the end of the year.
Then there is Google TV, a platform which in its original incarnation merged features of Android and Chrome to create a unique internet television experience. It was revealed at I/O that summer will see Google TV updated to Android 3.1 Honeycomb, which will bring about a more-familiar Android experience, including the Android Market. We’d expect the Chrome browser portion of GTV will remain.
Which brings me back to where this all started. A single question: Is Google spreading itself too thin? Initial worry was that the having both Chrome and Android might confuse consumers searching for Google-approved products, but a clearer division between smartphones, tablets, and netbooks has erased much of this concern. What we might fear now is developer support from a group of software engineers who already feel alienated by the so-called fragmentation of the Android platform. In addition to several versions of Android floating around on mobile handsets, developers now have the task of targeting a separate version for tablets and Google TV. Then there is the relatively untapped territory known as the Chrome App Store, which hosts rich web-based experiences.
If the turnout at Google I/O is any indication, developers are eager to work with Google and create content for their various platforms. However, we still must wonder if one Google OS will eventually cannibalize the other. It’s safe to say that Android has the biggest head of steam right now, which may detract some away from Chrome, an OS that some feel hesitant about due to its new approach to cloud-based computing. Nonetheless, Google is making a huge push for institutional and corporate adoption of the platform.
Could we eventually see a day where Google merges Android and Chrome? Would it take one operating system failing to trigger such an event, or is it part of Google’s plan from the get-go? We’ve come a long way since last year’s I/O conference, and what happens next year we can only guess. What we learned this week has us feeling relatively confident that both Chrome and Android can co-exist and experience success. But we also must remember: Google’s tendency to keep their hands in as many cookie jars as possible has often been the key factor to both their successes and their failures.