There is much excited talk right now about Eric Schmidt letting slip that Google is indeed working on a tablet. Yeah, I think we all knew that. The only real surprise is that it’s running Android, possibly with Chrome tacked on as the browser. Why not ChromeOS? I suppose Google thinks it would be pretty ridiculous to debut a new OS with a new device, with only web apps available, when the competition will have a million-seller with 180,000 apps already available. Android is the only arrow in their quiver that can strike at iPhone right now. In fact, Google Chrome OS as a separate entity might be a smokescreen.
Stay with me, here. I mean, we can all admit that a Chrome OS tablet would be pretty limited if it really was to be just Google web apps. In the meantime they’ve got all this support for Android… but Android isn’t built for tablets. I guess if anyone can bridge the gap, it’s Google. A sort of crossover OS with access to Android apps but suitable for the larger form factor, multi-touch capabilities, and browser-centric tablet platform would be a natural step to take.
Unfortunately, it’s a bit like aping Apple there — grow your mobile OS to fit the needs of a tablet OS. The best you can come up with is a sort of melange, as Apple seems to have shown. But can they sell that melange? I guess we’ll have to wait and see.