Google hints at Chrome OS coming to tablets

Google on Tuesday made a big push in getting Chromebooks, the search giant's low-cost laptops, into schools. The company unveiled two new models of Chromebooks, made by manufacturer partners including Asus and Acer, that are powered by an operating system called Chrome OS.

But laptops aren't the only devices Chrome OS will occupy, Google hinted in its announcement. They are also likely coming to tablets.

"With new apps, stylus and touch capabilities, we expect our partners will continue to build an even wider variety of Chromebooks in the future, including detachables and tablets," Naveen Viswanatha, product manager for Google for Education, said in a blog post.

While the software does run on some backflipping convertible laptops, it doesn't yet run on pure tablets.

The expansion to new types of devices would be significant because over the past few months, industry observers have been wondering about the fate of Chrome OS, and whether the search giant was trying to phase it out. Some have thought the software would be swallowed up by Android, the Google-owned software that powers almost 9 out of every 10 phones on the planet.

While it doesn't look like Chrome OS is going anywhere just yet, Google is taking steps to make sure Android and Chrome OS work better together. The search giant announced in May that it would bring more than a million Android apps to Chromebooks. On Monday, The company said all Chromebooks going forward will support Android apps.

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