Is Google's Next Big Move to Combine Chrome and Android?

By Tim Beyers and Alison Southwick – Mar 9, 2013 at 1:30AM

NASDAQ: GOOGL

Alphabet

Market Cap

$1,968B

Today's Change

(1.27%) $1.98

Current Price

$158.26

Price as of April 23, 2024, 4:00 p.m. ET

Maybe not soon, but management is at least thinking about it.

Unlike Apple (AAPL 0.64%), which has the Mac OS for computers and iOS for devices, Google (GOOGL 1.27%) has two operating systems equally capable of powering smartphones and tablets.

Why should investors care? Infighting. Signs point to Google building, say, a Chrome OS powered Nexus tablet in-house and then selling against Samsung and its line of Android-powered tabs.

War seems unlikely given how well Google's partners have done selling Android devices. And yet investors and observers can hardly be blamed for wondering if the company will combine efforts and create one unified OS. Does Google need to? What's the most likely outcome?

The Motley Fool's Alison Southwick asks Tim Beyers of Motley Fool Rule Breakers and Motley Fool Supernova for his perspective in the video below. Please watch, and then leave a comment to let us know what you think.

Fool contributor Tim Beyers is a member of the Motley Fool Rule Breakers stock-picking team and the Motley Fool Supernova Odyssey I mission. He owned shares of Apple and Google at the time of publication. Check out Tim's web home and portfolio holdings or connect with him on Google+, Tumblr, or Twitter, where he goes by @milehighfool. You can also get his insights delivered directly to your RSS reader.

The Motley Fool owns shares of Google and Apple. Motley Fool newsletter services have recommended buying shares of Google and Apple. Motley Fool newsletter services have recommended creating a covered bull call spread position in Apple. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors.