Chrome and Android Will Remain Separate, Says Google’s Schmidt

Speaking to reporters in India, Google chairman Eric Schmidt said that the company does not plan to merge Android and Chrome, despite the fact that one executive, Sundar Pichai, is now in charge of both OSes. Schmidt also said he has no plans to leave Google anytime soon.

The Times of India reported, “Google chairman Eric Schmidt said that the company doesn’t plan to integrate Chrome and Android operating systems into one product. ‘The two serve different purposes and will remain different products,’ Schmidt said at Google’s Big Tent event in Delhi.”

Devidutta Tripathy with Reuters noted, “Google Inc’s Chrome and Android operating systems will remain separate products but could have more overlap, Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt said, a week after the two came under a single boss. Google last week said Andy Rubin, the architect of Android – the world’s top-selling mobile operating system – was moving to a still-undefined role while Sundar Pichai, in charge of its Chrome web browser and applications like Google Drive and Gmail, was taking on Rubin’s responsibilities.”

ReadWrite’s Dan Rowinski commented, “The fact of the matter is that Android does not need Chrome OS to grow and succeed in the mobile market. Chrome OS has the potential to grow into a significant business for Google, regardless of Android. The two can work well in cohort while still maintaining individual identities. Google’s game for both Android and Chrome OS is to get more people on the Web, using Google services such as search, Gmail and Maps. There is room for more than one operating system to fulfill that goal.”

Mashable’s Samantha Murphy added, “Schmidt also squashed rumors that he would be leaving the company, calling the accusations ‘completely false.’ ‘Google is my home,’ he said.”