It would be wonderful to have one operating system for all devices. Microsoft certainly deserves credit for trying with their latest OS. But PC sales have been falling rapidly while sales for Apple personal computers has been on the rise. Granted, Microsoft still dominates, but the trend is clear. I believe the trend is drenched in the fact Microsoft has made compromises that spoil both the desktop and mobile experience. So why is Google - or Alphabet as they now call themselves - following suit?
By folding Chrome OS into Android, Google is essentially throwing in the flag on their desktop operating system. Essentially, Chrome OS was a portal to the internet. It's an excellent idea that may be here too soon. But it offered a limited desktop experience. I wanted to purchase a Chromebook (now there's also a Surface Book - both taking Apple's lead from their MacBook).
I've long thought Apple's iOS was nearly suitable for desktop duty. I love working on my iPad. But I can't use Photoshop effectively. There's a possibility this will be addressed - but it remains to be seen if the level of control will offer the professional control I need. I'm excited tho! Android on the other hand, stinks.
I can't imagine Android being used as a desktop OS for anything professional because it's so buggy. I had an Android phone and all I remember from the experience was that it froze often and became infected with multiple viruses. I hated it and switched to the iPhone. I love the iPhone.
Sure, it would be wonderful to have a touchscreen MacBook or iMac. But I use these devices for work and require a stable, feature rich experience. I also use the iPad for work to keep organized, jot down my thoughts and map out projects both professional and personal. I can't trust that to Android.
Google is moving a downstream product upstream. It will have limitations. By offering Android at a desktop level, it will also be stressed by new features just to get it up to par. If Google is serious about this, they will leave features out that create issues - crashes being of primary concern. But they probably will send buggy software to end users creating discomfort within the Android community who see Android as a way of bucking the Apple trend and Microsoft dominance.
Microsoft can pull this off effectively enough because the majority of IT professionals are schooled in Microsoft so they know nothing else and work with their buggy products. Apple has its niche and will survive as the better option for creatives - and perhaps make inroads with their formidable business partner, IBM, into the Enterprise arena. But Android? By pretending Android is anywhere near a desktop operating system by announcing Chrome OS has been folded into it Android is simply misleading the public. Techies will 'get it' and cope simply to satisfy their desire for something other than Microsoft. Think about it, in order to make money, IT professionals need unreliable, buggy products to fix. I just don't see the day where Android based desktops will ever be accepted into professional environments for any reason other than to satisfy an organizations BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) to allow some kind of freedom of expression. But if employees begin missing deadlines and losing work due to Android problems the platform will ultimately remain a mobile operating system with aspirations for the desktop.
