When a former Googler speaks, the world listens and today the world is listening to Paul Buchheit, former Google employee who was the brains behind Gmail. Via his twitter account, Buchheit made the bold prediction that Google will eventually merge Chrome OS with Android. This stinging assessment of the future of Chrome OS was delivered only a week after Google launched the web-based operating system .
Buchheit seems amazed than people are taking Chrome OS seriously and questions why Google is even sending out CR-48 devices. The explanation for his distaste of Chrome OS is simple – “ChromeOS has no purpose that isn’t better served by Android.” Buchheit is not the only one predicting the demise of Chrome OS using a similar “Android is good enough” argument. Articles both at GigaOM and Computer World suggest a similar fate for Google’s desktop operating system.
Despite the naysayers, Eric Google believes Chrome OS is a viable third for desktop users. Google has also made it clear that Chrome OS and Android are targeting two different devices, two different markets, and two different sets of core users. From the ground up, Chrome OS is more of a desktop operating system than a mobile OS, while Android is made specifically for smartphone and 3G-enabled tablet devices. The biggest question facing Chrome OS is not whether Android is better, but whether folks will latch on to the idea of web-based applications and an operating system that is a web browser at its core.
[Via TechCrunch and FriendFeed]