Chrome OS being replaced by Android?!?!
I suppose this was news we should all have been expecting at some point. For me, the surprise is that it was neither sooner nor later. Frankly, it was obvious that Chrome OS had no real consumer support now for a VERY long time. So, either they should have gone the slow route of waiting for educational initiatives, etc... to have paid off or have dropped it long ago.
But then, maybe the timing isn't too weird. Surface Book, according to rumours, has ticked off a number of OEMs. So, now might be a good time to try and tempt them with a new OS.
I see a few problems though. Firstly, there is no reason to believe that an Android desktop or laptop would be any more popular than a Chrome OS one. Or a Windows RT one for that matter. There is also no reason to believe OEMs will be excited about this unproven approach after the horrendous failure that was Chrome OS. And lastly, what is their developer story?
Running Android apps on a desktop is every bit as bad as running Android on a TV (or iOS apps on an Apple TV). You're talking about a limited set of apps that will even be properly usable under these situations, so while the mass of apps in the Play Store seems great, the reality is that true compatibility with a new form factor will actually render that massive app store mostly useless.
Next is questioning why OEMs should even bother. Sure, Microsoft jilted them a bit by pulling a fast one over them with Surface Book, but they already tried the Google route as well. That is why Chromebooks exist in the first place. And they didn't sell well to consumers, despite being more affordable in general than even cheap Windows laptops or massively more affordable than Mac Books. I certainly expect OEMs to "try". But, by that I mean, make a few half-assed low budget implementations and give up when they don't turn a profit. The Surface Pro lineup exists because OEMs are not very daring when it comes to trying to break the mold.
And lets face it, the other problem for OEMs is that margins SUCK, and Android devices aren't just a race to the bottom. They start off priced at the bottom and then redefine the "bottom" just to unload stock. The reason OEMs would be pissed off at Microsoft is because they just entered into the market in the only profitable segment and one which really can't be served by Android.
Why can't the luxury market be served by Android you ask? Because PCs aren't the biggest computing market any more. As such, desirable apps need to be available on mobile devices and mobile devices aren't as powerful as legitimately expensive luxury PCs. So, building any Android app targeted at the $1000+ laptop market effectively means your app will not generate any sales in the MUCH larger mobile pond.
Then there is the question of developers. Apple has their IDE on MacOS. Microsoft has theirs on desktop Windows. Google has theirs... well on NONE of their OSs. You can code for Android on Mac, Windows or even Linux. But not on Android or Chrome OS. This isn't a problem as long as you aren't trying to position those as viable desktop or laptop OSs. You can count on your developers owning a competing system to develop for you on. But, if this is a move to seriously try and take that market, they actually need to be afraid of succeeding because they have the worst dev story for their own platforms.
And, most importantly, from a consumer standpoint it doesn't make a ton of sense either. Phones and tablets are more portable, designed to work with most/all Play Store apps and phones are still effectively subsidized. In fact, even tablets are suffering thanks to that last point. While there is some limited demand for productivity from those who could get away with an Android or iOS based system, their needs could easily be filled with a simple docking solution or hybrid.
From an enterprise perspective this is, of course, nothing short of a joke. Android is the least secure of the widely adopted operating systems, lagging even behind Apple. And that is before you tie in privacy concerns that go hand in hand with anything Google related.
Also, because they didn't make this move years ago, they are now years behind on this one. Their insistence in following Apple's strategy has done nothing but help Microsoft and hurt them on this particular front.
But then, maybe the timing isn't too weird. Surface Book, according to rumours, has ticked off a number of OEMs. So, now might be a good time to try and tempt them with a new OS.
I see a few problems though. Firstly, there is no reason to believe that an Android desktop or laptop would be any more popular than a Chrome OS one. Or a Windows RT one for that matter. There is also no reason to believe OEMs will be excited about this unproven approach after the horrendous failure that was Chrome OS. And lastly, what is their developer story?
Running Android apps on a desktop is every bit as bad as running Android on a TV (or iOS apps on an Apple TV). You're talking about a limited set of apps that will even be properly usable under these situations, so while the mass of apps in the Play Store seems great, the reality is that true compatibility with a new form factor will actually render that massive app store mostly useless.
Next is questioning why OEMs should even bother. Sure, Microsoft jilted them a bit by pulling a fast one over them with Surface Book, but they already tried the Google route as well. That is why Chromebooks exist in the first place. And they didn't sell well to consumers, despite being more affordable in general than even cheap Windows laptops or massively more affordable than Mac Books. I certainly expect OEMs to "try". But, by that I mean, make a few half-assed low budget implementations and give up when they don't turn a profit. The Surface Pro lineup exists because OEMs are not very daring when it comes to trying to break the mold.
And lets face it, the other problem for OEMs is that margins SUCK, and Android devices aren't just a race to the bottom. They start off priced at the bottom and then redefine the "bottom" just to unload stock. The reason OEMs would be pissed off at Microsoft is because they just entered into the market in the only profitable segment and one which really can't be served by Android.
Why can't the luxury market be served by Android you ask? Because PCs aren't the biggest computing market any more. As such, desirable apps need to be available on mobile devices and mobile devices aren't as powerful as legitimately expensive luxury PCs. So, building any Android app targeted at the $1000+ laptop market effectively means your app will not generate any sales in the MUCH larger mobile pond.
Then there is the question of developers. Apple has their IDE on MacOS. Microsoft has theirs on desktop Windows. Google has theirs... well on NONE of their OSs. You can code for Android on Mac, Windows or even Linux. But not on Android or Chrome OS. This isn't a problem as long as you aren't trying to position those as viable desktop or laptop OSs. You can count on your developers owning a competing system to develop for you on. But, if this is a move to seriously try and take that market, they actually need to be afraid of succeeding because they have the worst dev story for their own platforms.
And, most importantly, from a consumer standpoint it doesn't make a ton of sense either. Phones and tablets are more portable, designed to work with most/all Play Store apps and phones are still effectively subsidized. In fact, even tablets are suffering thanks to that last point. While there is some limited demand for productivity from those who could get away with an Android or iOS based system, their needs could easily be filled with a simple docking solution or hybrid.
From an enterprise perspective this is, of course, nothing short of a joke. Android is the least secure of the widely adopted operating systems, lagging even behind Apple. And that is before you tie in privacy concerns that go hand in hand with anything Google related.
Also, because they didn't make this move years ago, they are now years behind on this one. Their insistence in following Apple's strategy has done nothing but help Microsoft and hurt them on this particular front.
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