Google chairman Eric Schmidt has publicly ruled out any full-blooded merger between its Chrome and Android operating systems – but conceded there would be greater overlap between the two divisions.
Both open source products have been cited by analysts for years as likely merger candidates owing to their overt similarities, speculation fueled by the recent appointment of Andy Rubin to oversee both.
This follows a turnaround in the fortunes of Chrome OS which has been bolstered by a series of new device launches, notably the Chromebook Pixel and other manufacturers expressing interest in developing devices of their own that utilise the software.