Chrome OS + Android Reported To Combine In 2017

[Passso]

Hmmm, with the converged experience Windows offers, a converged experience from Android, KDE and Ubuntu working on mobile as well and Gnome making their interface touch friendly, I REALLY wonder what Apple is going to do. Apple has always had a clear segregation between touch/phone/tablet and laptop/pc. Will they stay where they are now or will they also have a go at convergence?

IMO Apple has the right direction. One device = one usage = one OS. They are good like that. MS convergence is a mess, why copy them?

[Passso]

Convergence sounds stupid. A desktop on a handheld doesn't work and giant icons on a desktop is stupid. It doesn't matter what compromises you choose it'll end bad somewhere. ChromeOS doesn't have nearly the marketshare Android does, so as long as they don't ruin Android it probably won't matter one tiny bit except for the coreboot crowd.

I agree with that. This is just a marketing buzz to promote ChromeOs, by saying "hey! you all have Android and love it? Take a computer with it!!"
Tablet is the limit where you can choose convergence. For a real usage one must pick a real computer with an adapted OS, if your computer is used for Candy Crush Saga, buy a ChromeOS and enjoy eating stupid candys

[unixfan2001]

IMO Apple has the right direction. One device = one usage = one OS. They are good like that. MS convergence is a mess, why copy them?

Correction.
It USED to be a mess.

It's quite usable since 8.1 and has greatly improved with the introduction of Windows 10 UWP apps.

As to why convergence:

Some of us enjoy not having to drag around a laptop to do all their work.
I know my neighbour would love to have a touch optimised version of Mac OS X on his iPad, so he can use some of those applications that aren't available for iOS.

It's really a maintainability issue too.
From a development standpoint, convergence may be a bitch to efficiently implement. But once everything is in place, it saves quite a lot of resources over maintaining two separate operating systems.

[bug77]

IMO Apple has the right direction. One device = one usage = one OS. They are good like that. MS convergence is a mess, why copy them?

Then why is iOS on both iPhones and iPads?

Now, to be honest, the processing power of smaller devices increases over time. Naturally, smaller devices become capable of things previously only accessible to larger ones (e.g. laptops or desktops). So it makes sense to try to unify what's under the hood. But the UI, because of the various screen sizes, will remain segregated.

[chithanh]

Google told The Verge, who in their tradition originally used a slightly more lurid headline, that Chrome OS will not disappear.

A Google spokesperson has confirmed to The Verge that both Chrome OS and Android will continue to exist; Chrome OS is not being "killed."

About the merging: I suspect what will merge (at least at first) are the technical foundations, not the user interface. After all, both Chrome OS and Android are Linux distributions, and there is little reason to maintain them separately.

Whether they are going all the way similar Microsoft's idea of convergence I doubt. Microsoft has had to make too many compromises.

[Passso]

Then why is iOS on both iPhones and iPads?

Now, to be honest, the processing power of smaller devices increases over time. Naturally, smaller devices become capable of things previously only accessible to larger ones (e.g. laptops or desktops). So it makes sense to try to unify what's under the hood. But the UI, because of the various screen sizes, will remain segregated.

Because it is globally the same usage and the same inputs.

Now try to work on an iPad like on a Mac and you will loose your time.

[Passso]

Correction.
It USED to be a mess.

...

Some of us enjoy not having to drag around a laptop to do all their work.
I know my neighbour would love to have a touch optimised version of Mac OS X on his iPad, so he can use some of those applications that aren't available for iOS.

OK, but now please explain me why 90% of the professionnal market is still on Windows 7.
IMO simply because W7 fits the job perfectly, unlike Windows 8+ which are just a compilation of retro compatibility and awkward tablet/smartphone compromises.

[duby229]

Correction.
It USED to be a mess.

It's quite usable since 8.1 and has greatly improved with the introduction of Windows 10 UWP apps.

As to why convergence:

Some of us enjoy not having to drag around a laptop to do all their work.
I know my neighbour would love to have a touch optimised version of Mac OS X on his iPad, so he can use some of those applications that aren't available for iOS.

It's really a maintainability issue too.
From a development standpoint, convergence may be a bitch to efficiently implement. But once everything is in place, it saves quite a lot of resources over maintaining two separate operating systems.

I don't agree, MS back tracked a lot windows10. I do computer repairs for most of the money I earn, so I deal with windows and users a lot. I can tell you from my personal experience a lot of people didn't like metro at all. It was astounding how much the loss of the start menu affected people. Windows 10 was definitely an improvement over windows 8, but still not as good as Windows 7.

[duby229]

I still say Windows 7 classic interface is the best GUI around. Period. I hate to say it, but it's definitely true.

[profoundWHALE]

I still say Windows 7 classic interface is the best GUI around. Period. I hate to say it, but it's definitely true.

I prefer the OS X/Unity interface, exception being that OS X's file explorer is the most confusing thing I have ever laid my eyes on in the history of file explorers. Unity's exception would be that they've got a good look, but haven't added a new, more polished theme to go along with the standard Matte-like theme (which I still really like)

And yes, I know that you can get something similar looking through extensions or plugins in XFCE and Gnome.

2nd favourite interface would be the one on Crunchbang