Will The Andromeda OS Be The End Of Android?
Recent leaks from Android Police claims Google is building a new hybrid OS that will incorporate support for both mobile and desktop hardware. Attempting to create an OS that seamlessly supports multiple platforms is nothing new. Take Windows 10 and its ability to cover mobile and desktop. But Microsoft has yet to get significant market share in the mobile space. As for desktop PCs, the fact remains that Microsoft doesn’t really have any competition in the PC space besides Mac OSX. (Mac OSX arguably isn’t the same market.) Andromeda OS seems like an ambitious attempt by Google to provide direct competition to Microsoft Windows on both mobile and desktop – and it has an edge when it comes to mobile with all those Androids out there.
Google’s reasoning may be that the market growth for Android OS has peaked and they need to keep finding ways to stay relevant and innovative. Breaking ground in the desktop market in which Google doesn’t yet have a significant stake may be a smart step to increase its user base. This would also explain Google’s recent interest in building up its reputation as a hardware vendor including tomorrow’s expected announcement of their new Pixel phones. Rumor has it that the Pixel phones will be the first devices to boast the new OS.
The PC Will Never Die
If we look back 8 years to the dawn of the smartphone era, many were predicting the end of desktops. The reality is that desktop PCs are not going anywhere any time soon. If anything, we live in a hybrid mobile-desktop world. PC hardware andprocessor architecture provide the specifications necessary to run resource heavy applications that mobile hardware can’t handle yet. And mobile operating systems lack the driver support to run on traditional PCs, emulation aside. It will be particularly interesting to see how Google solves this issue without eliminating support for one platform.
Though it’s yet to be seen, Andromeda OS is likely Google’s answer to the hybrid OS conundrum. Some have echoed their dismay that this may be another Symbian, but let’s remember that Google has a lot more clout than Symbian ever did.
Even though much of this is still largely rumor, it makes sense that Google would make this move. Providing a Chrome/Android hybrid would allow for new opportunities in the Microsoft-dominated PC space while also providing support for older applications already developed and supported for Chrome and Android.
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Business Implications of Andromeda OS
It’s also important to consider the implications this move by Google would have for businesses looking to minimize the overhead of supporting Mobile, IoT, and desktop in already complex IT environments. PCs last a lot longer than the average life span of mobile devices, mostly due to their stationary existence. Since Andromeda claims to be a hybrid OS, support would continue regardless of which type of hardware you load it on. This has the potential to significantly minimize overhead costs for IT.
We’ll just have to wait and see what Andromeda OS actually is until Google shares the details. Speculators say it will be sometime after the release of the Pixel phones and the next model in line, the Pixel XL. If it is what we think it is, this could be a game changer for the tech space, and a welcomed one at that.
This article originally appeared on the Ipswitch Blog.