Ceci est une ancienne révision du document !
I aimed to provide an encryption how-to using a Chrome browser and the app store. However the recent news by Google caused this impromptu opinion piece. Chrome OS and Android are being merged into a new OS. The beta OS will premiere in 2016 and the full hybrid of mobile and cloud OS will emerge. It will be ready for consumers in 2017. There are no details about the name for this new OS or hardware associated with it.
Google has given conflicting reports of maintaining the Chrome OS for the current Chromebook base. In an ideal world the new hybrid OS will run on the Chromebooks without fault. If not, I will be using Crouton for Ubuntu Mate.
People are split on this decision. They believe Google is killing off the Chromebook, despite the continued growth and popularity. Others believe it is a natural evolution of the Google Ecosphere. Google has killed off unpopular items in the past. However the Chrome OS is too popular to completely kill off.
Let’s review Google’s two OSes independently: Android and Chrome. Android is the leading mobile OS, with a strong app developer presence. However it is plagued by being insecure, and lacks proper and timely security patches. Chrome is extremely secure using native SSD encryption, web app sandboxing, and security updates every 6 weeks. Yet Chrome has a much weaker app store developer presence. Ideally, by merging the security of Chrome OS and the Android App Store together, Google will get scale and efficiency. They will have more users on the Google Ecosphere by pushing this new hybrid OS.
Google has already started to create an Android Chromebook Prototype. It is called the Pixel C. It offers the tablet features, but with an optional keyboard. I believe this will be the first computer that will sport the hybrid OS.
The Pixel C is priced around $500. However it will come with 3GB RAM, Nvidia Quadcore processor, Maxwell GPU and a 32GB or 64 GB SSD. The Pixel is still Wi-Fi dependent. This device is following the trend of tablets sales, since desktop computers are declining. This device will still make Google relevant as consumer trends change.
After using my Chromebook for the last few months, I would recommend it as a backup computer to a Linux distro or MacBook. I would recommend my Chromebook as the main computer over any Microsoft OS. I do not mind living in the cloud as long as limitations are known. I suspect a Chromebook-like device will be my kid’s first laptop. I learn to adapt to my Chromebook. Undoubtedly I will learn to adapt to this new OS coming out in 2017. For the time being, Chrome Cult will continue to review the cloud computing experience.