So when I heard about google's announcement of the new chromebook, I was more interested in the pixel 2, however, recently I read a post on slashdot regarding the chromebook, and here's the text;
https://www.computerworld.com/article/3230136/chrome-os/chromebook-android-tablet.html
Link to full article.
Ok so the point is, I can really start to see where google is going with this now. They're addressing the biggest problem with android and that's how hardware manufacturers and carriers don't support the platform, to the detriment of google, and also, albeit to a lesser extent, try to sideline google from its OS. I wouldn't be surprised if android gets retired for phones, and it moves towards chrome OS, they way it's looking, there's nothing stopping them, and the users won't be any worse off either.
Thing is, this is now directly targeting MS's cash cow, with windows, hence going for the jugular. It's starting to look like for once, MS will have to start competing and won't be able to rely on windows just being a default option.
Now I'm no ****** of MS, but I tend to find them the least worst to use, but the way it's looking, google will methodically aim to dethrone MS from personal computing. All this talk of UWP, and other projects have really come to naught. Fact of the matter is, a lot of newer apps are targeting iOS and android, and not windows, actually completely ignoring windows to be exact. Classic apps, no question, MS dominates, but with the way things are heading, the mobile failures, are really going to leak into a failure to keep windows relevant.
If MS doesn't do something significant in the next couple of years, then I'd say that they'll just be a company in steady decline, like IBM is, and fewer and fewer people will use their platform, and more companies target alternatives. One of the big differences to observe is google is definitely in for the long haul, and going about it methodically and smoothly. MS with their reboots and throwing users under a bus, simply couldn't get their act together.
What does a traditional Android tablet do that a convertible Chromebook doesn't? No matter how long you mull, it's tough to come up with much. Nowadays, a Chromebook runs the same apps from the same Google Play Store. It has an increasingly similar user interface, with a new touch-friendly and Android-reminiscent app launcher rolling out as we speak. It's likely to have an Android-like way of getting around the system before long, too, not to mention native integration of the Google Assistant (which is launching with the newly announced Pixelbook and then presumably spreading to other devices from there). But on top of all of that, a Chromebook offers meaningful advantages a traditional Android tablet simply can't match. It operates within the fast-booting, inherently secure, and free from manufacturer- or carrier-meddling Chrome OS environment. The operating system is updated every two to three weeks, directly by Google, for a minimum of five years. That's a sharp contrast to the software realities we see on Android -- and if you think the updates on Android phones are bad, let me tell you: The situation with Android tablets is worse.
In addition to the regular selection of Android apps, a Chromebook also gives you a desktop-caliber browser experience along with a laptop-level keyboard and capable trackpad. (And, as a side perk, that means you've got a built-in multi-mode stand for your tablet, too.) It's the best of both worlds, as I've put it before -- a whole new kind of platform-defying, all-purpose productivity and entertainment machine. And while it won't immediately lead to the outright extinction of traditional Android tablets, it certainly makes them seem like a watered-down and obsolete version of the same basic experience.
https://www.computerworld.com/article/3230136/chrome-os/chromebook-android-tablet.html
Link to full article.
Ok so the point is, I can really start to see where google is going with this now. They're addressing the biggest problem with android and that's how hardware manufacturers and carriers don't support the platform, to the detriment of google, and also, albeit to a lesser extent, try to sideline google from its OS. I wouldn't be surprised if android gets retired for phones, and it moves towards chrome OS, they way it's looking, there's nothing stopping them, and the users won't be any worse off either.
Thing is, this is now directly targeting MS's cash cow, with windows, hence going for the jugular. It's starting to look like for once, MS will have to start competing and won't be able to rely on windows just being a default option.
Now I'm no ****** of MS, but I tend to find them the least worst to use, but the way it's looking, google will methodically aim to dethrone MS from personal computing. All this talk of UWP, and other projects have really come to naught. Fact of the matter is, a lot of newer apps are targeting iOS and android, and not windows, actually completely ignoring windows to be exact. Classic apps, no question, MS dominates, but with the way things are heading, the mobile failures, are really going to leak into a failure to keep windows relevant.
If MS doesn't do something significant in the next couple of years, then I'd say that they'll just be a company in steady decline, like IBM is, and fewer and fewer people will use their platform, and more companies target alternatives. One of the big differences to observe is google is definitely in for the long haul, and going about it methodically and smoothly. MS with their reboots and throwing users under a bus, simply couldn't get their act together.