Google is currently immersed in various problems. On the one hand, despite having developed the technology that has allowed the boom in generative artificial intelligence (in Spain ChatGPT is omnipresent), it is not leading this sector. OpenAI has managed to position itself as a referencedespite being a company that has emerged almost from nowhere. However, Google has accelerated and you can see how its products are sometimes much better than those of Sam Altman’s company.
On the other hand, the US administration is studying the behavior of the companysince it detects monopolistic practices that could make Google have to get rid of Chrome or Android. This would be quite an earthquake, although it is not the first time that the United States government has confronted a mega corporation over a similar issue. IBM first, Microsoft later, and now Google.
Despite this, the company led by Sundar Pichai continues to advance in its attempt to create an ecosystem that includes personal computerslaptops, to be able to face both Apple with Macs and Microsoft with Windows. ChormeOS had been developed for this, but we cannot say that it was a success.
Yes, it is true that in certain sectors, such as education, the good work of the system and, above all, the integration with its applications, has allowed Google to achieve a certain market share, butor in the rest of the sectors its presence is less than testimonial. This is something that could change soon with the launch of a new laptop that would have software as its main workhorse.
It is rumored that Google is preparing a new laptop that It would not be a Chromebook, because it would not use that operating system, but Androidunder its Pixel brand. Android on a laptop with keyboard and mouse, something that we have seen in proposals from minor Chinese brands, but not in products from leading companies.
Android goes all out
The company has been doing tests for months showing how Chrome OS could be used on a device designed to run Android. It has not gone beyond being an internal test, because at no time has it given rise to developers or consumers to use that system in this way.
Now the company is developing a new high-end laptopto fight directly with Apple’s MacBooks, which would use Android. The premium approach is perhaps what is most surprising, but it is true that Google is clear about where the money is and, if it is a success, there is always time to launch cheaper products, as it did with its Pixels.
ChromeOS on a Pixel Tablet
The Free Android
Surely the most important point is the use of a system that billions of people already know all over the world. And yes, the way you use it could be different, but not having to learn a new system, or deal with different ways of doing things could be key.
The power of the familiar
The vast majority of people, at least in Spain, has stopped using computers in the family environment to exclusively use mobile phones and, perhaps, tablets. We are not only talking about recreational use, but also to carry out procedures with the administration, procedures with the bank, etc. It is true that sometimes a keyboard and mouse or a larger screen, in addition to a larger battery, could be interesting, but not enough to make you want to buy a laptop.
Android on a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3
The Free Android
Despite that, if necessary, Having an option that uses the same system, with the same applications, is something attractive for the majority of buyers, who do not value features or specifications as much as comfort and familiarity, especially if it is a system that works well as is the case with Android.
Taking into account that this system is not only in mobile phones and tablets, but also in watches, televisions and now in cars and augmented reality glasses, It is absurd to maintain a second system, Chrome OS, only for computerswhen Google is not even strong in that segment. That might make sense for companies like Microsoft, but not for the Alphabet subsidiary.
Paradigm shift
The challenge that Google faces is the same that Apple faces with the iPad: convert a mobile operating system into a productive system. Having a computer with Android but only using mobile apps does not make much sense, so developers should be encouraged to bring their more advanced proposals to this system.
It is something that Apple itself is already trying in iPad OSwith the arrival of programs like Davinci Resolve or the Adobe suite. Despite this, there are many companies that have developed applications that only work on Windows, for example, and perhaps if they see that Android is a viable system on computers they will be interested in launching them for this system, which would also allow them to take the leap. to smartphones.
Go for the iPad
The comparisons with the Apple tablet have not been coincidental. Google wants a piece of the pie of that product, especially in markets as juicy as the United States, where the apple brand is sweeping not only smartphones, but also larger diagonal devices. It is not uncommon to see professionals use the iPad as a work tooland Google would like to make the leap before the iPad becomes a tool capable of running Mac applications.
The latter is something that many users have wanted for years, and it seems that, in the medium term, it could be a reality. It would be with the first foldable iPad, an ultra-high-end device that could nevertheless be a sales success. Google doesn’t want to wait for that to happen, and I could put the band-aid before the woundtargeting the same niche of users. And it seems that he will do it with a laptop and not with a tablet.
