Google may go the way of Microsoft and merge its mobile and desktop operating systems.
A Wall Street Journal report cites people familiar with the matter who say the Google will fold its browser-based Chrome operating system into Android.
Engineers at Google have apparently been working on the project for two years. The new operating system might get an early reveal next year, with a launch slated for 2017.
Microsoft is in the midst of merging its mobile and desktop operating systems into Windows 10. That change has allowed Microsoft to release phones and tablets that run its full suite of desktop productivity software.
Such a system would enable Google extend Android to run on laptops and an extended lineup of devices.
Apple would be the odd man out if Google does go ahead with the merger. Apple currently maintains a clear distinction between its mobile iOS operating system and its desktop OS X software.
Android remains the world’s most-installed mobile operating system. Kantar Worldpanel estimates that 67 percent of all smartphones in the United States run Android, followed by iOS (28 percent), and Windows (3.5 percent).
