According to reports, Google Chromebooks will soon feature Android Play Store. Some Chromebook users already have available the new option.
According to Android Headlines, there are two Google mobile consumer operating systems: Chrome OS and Android. Among the two, Android is the more popular, being optimized for the smarthphone platform and designed for a touchscreen. On the other side, Chrome OS does not need a touchscreen, being optimized for the keyboard / desktop platform or laptop.
Both Google's operating systems are based on Linux. However, they are differently structured. The Chrome OS is running on top of a simplified Linux base, being essentially based on the Google Chrome browser.
These two Google platforms have existed for a time side by side, targeting a different market. But there have been some rumors over the last two years claiming that Google will merge together Android and Chrome OS. However, Google has denied these rumors up to date.
Google's executives were saying instead that rather than being merged together, the two operating systems will be closer aligned. The changes in the laptop market are likely to be the drive force behind this strategy adopted by Google. Lately, then touchscreen convertible devices are becoming increasingly popular among laptop owners.
According to the same publication, the two platforms have structural differences in the way how they operate. Chrome OS is relying on Google's infrastructure and it is designed to be a thin client. The Chrome OS platform caches data from the Google service in local storage and when it has an Internet connection it synchronize its data.
By giving Chrome OS the ability to run Android applications, Google can easily bring the two platforms closer. With just as little tweaking, there are already several Android applications that can also run on the Chrome OS platform.
According to Engadget, there aren't yet so many Android apps in Chrome Web Store. But this could change soon, as Google appears to prepare for launching the Android Play Store on Chrome OS. A screenshot shared recently by the user TheWiseYoda on Reddit shows a new option in Chrome OS that appeared in a developer build of the operating system version 51. The option allows enabling Android apps to run on a Chromebook.
