Google plans to merge Chrome OS, the operating system that runs on Chromebooks, and Android, according to a new report in The Wall Street Journal. Chromebooks would get a new name, which has not been determined, according to the Journal, and an Android based operating system.
Citing "people familiar with the matter," the report says Google engineers have been working on the project for the past two years. Once completed, Google will retire the Chromebook name and the devices will instead run a version of Android. The name of Google's Chrome browser will remain unchanged.
This new operating system will also run on PCs, according to the report, so people will be able to access Google's Play Store and other content offerings from laptops and other computers.
It's not clear exactly when the new version of Android may launch but the report said Google would not officially reveal it until 2017, though the company may preview an early version sometime in 2016.
This is far from the first time we've heard rumors that Google plans to combine Chrome OS and Android. Though Google has yet to officially confirm the news a Google spokesperson declined to comment on The Wall Street Journal story the company has taken steps to bridge the gap between Chrome OS and Android.
Last year, the company began rolling out Android apps that could run on Chromebooks and later opened it up to any Android developer. Additionally, Android users who also have Chromebooks are able to unlock their devices using their smartphones.
Google showed off a new tablet/laptop hybrid, the Pixel C, last month. The yet-to-be-released device, was designed by the same team behind Google's flagship Pixel Chromebook, even though the Pixel C runs Android. The fact that Google's team behind one of the most premium Chromebooks designed a new Android tablet could be seen as a sign the company is changing the way they think about Android and Chrome.
Though Chromebooks are massively popular in schools, the Chrome-based machines aren't nearly as popular Android devices. Re-branding these devices, which tend to be cheaper than most laptops and premium tablets, under the Android name could stand to attract more users to the platform.
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