The future of Android - PC-based

In August this year, Xiaomi released MIUI 7 with great anticipation; however, compared with the huge generational leap from 6 to 7 in terms of name, the actual update of MIUI 7 can only be reflected in the addition of four new system default themes, "Big Mac" super-large fonts and "Baby Album" and other functions. As expected, the "unworthy" MIUI 7 was wildly complained by people.

The limited upgrade of MIUI 7 certainly cannot meet people's expectations for new system features; but if we think about the latest version of Android 6.0 released at the Google I/O conference at the end of May this year, which was unsatisfactory in terms of interface and function updates, as well as the trend of flat interface and functional convergence of many domestic mobile phone ROMs, it is easy to understand: Android has developed very maturely as a mobile operating system, so it is difficult to find new innovative breakthroughs within the existing functional framework.

It can be said that the Android system, which currently occupies a dominant position in the entire mobile operating system field, is facing an unprecedented development dilemma. To get out of this dilemma, Android may have only one way to go: PCization.

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Chrome OS's Implications

Since Android is currently mainly used in mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, we seem to have become accustomed to labeling Android as "mobile", but it is easy to ignore the essence of Android as an operating system: it is actually a platform, a platform that can run many applications. The basic attributes of a platform are not whether the devices it supports are portable, but the number of types of applications on the platform, the way they run, and their various relationships with the platform.

Knowing this, we can understand the feasibility and future significance of Android PCization through Google's good intentions on Chrome OS.

In a sense, Chrome OS originated from the Chrome browser; although the latter is not much different from many other browsers on the surface, in fact, Chrome provides users with a variety of skins, browser plug-ins and browser embedded applications, and also allows developers to develop and upload their own applications. Therefore, the Chrome browser actually has an early prototype of an application platform.

In 2009, when Google began to consider building a desktop operating system based on Chrome browser that was always online, completely based on web cloud services and aimed at meeting people's needs for lightweight network use, Chrome OS was born; at that time, another product of Google, Android, was already booming. But in Google's view at the time, the two had different divisions of labor and were applied to different devices, so there was no connection between them.

As a result, Chrome OS was improved step by step, and was finally installed in Chromebook and released in 2013. The advantages and disadvantages of Chromebook are obvious: on the one hand, it has super fast startup speed, pure Internet experience and cloud services, but on the other hand, it has simple functions, lack of applications and inappropriate operation logic.

Many brands, including Samsung, Acer, and HP, have launched Chromebooks, and they are indeed popular in the education market; but overall, Chromebooks are still a niche product. According to Gartner data, as of May 2015, Chromebooks had only sold 5.7 million units worldwide, 84% of which were sold in the United States.

But Google, as ambitious as it is, will certainly not be satisfied with just the niche market. In fact, with the continuous development of the industry and Google's own adjustments in philosophy, Chromebook and Chrome OS are also constantly adjusting and beginning to integrate with Android at different levels.

First, in May 2014, Lenovo launched its first Chromebook. The special thing about this product is that it is equipped with a touch screen; this is obviously influenced by the overall touch operation of tablets and Surface series. This is a step forward towards Android in terms of interaction.

Later, at the Google I/O conference in 2014, Google announced that Chrome OS would be able to run Android applications directly, which cleverly solved the problem of insufficient applications under the original Chrome framework. In this case, Android is no longer exclusive to mobile phones or tablets, but has also become a member of the desktop application platform.

In fact, through these two adjustments, Chromebook can already be said to be a PC equipped with Android system; and the latest version of Chrome OS can be said to be the desktop version of Android system.

However, due to well-known reasons, Chromebooks are once again out of the Chinese market. This means:

1. Google cannot directly lead the trend of Android PCization in the Chinese market through the concepts displayed on Chrome OS, nor can it occupy the Chinese market through the Chromebooks launched by it and other manufacturers;
2. Just like smartphone systems, if some Chinese manufacturers want to take a different approach and capture the market unexpectedly by making Android a PC, then they still have a certain chance to customize Android to be a PC while also being personalized.

Speculations about Xiaomi notebooks

Unfortunately, the current Chinese market generally positions Android as a mobile operating system, as if people think that Android can only be used on smartphones, tablets, and at most smart watches. People deliberately add very limited functions to the already very mature ROM, and at the same time begin to learn to work hard on some details of the experience; but these can only be regarded as repairing a building and adding bricks and tiles. However, if you want to make this building more magnificent, you have to jump out of the mindset of customization and look for growth space in other dimensions.

As mentioned above, the type of device should not be a shackle for a certain operating system platform. Especially when the ambitious Microsoft has begun to quietly deploy Windows 10 on many devices including PCs, tablets, smartphones, smart watches, etc. to realize its ideal of unification, the industry should be inspired by this: the best state of an operating system platform is to run smoothly on many devices beyond the boundaries of screen size, and different devices are also closely linked because of the operating system itself.

This is precisely where Android's breakthrough lies in running on large screens; plus, Android has now reached a critical juncture where its development on smartphones has encountered a bottleneck, and Android's PCization may be one of the most feasible development prospects.

Simply put, Android PCization is to transform the existing smartphone ROM into a PC version based on the openness and powerful application ecosystem of the Android operating system, such as adding desktop window adaptation, file management, network settings and other functions. This is indeed difficult, but it is not a big problem for many "veterans" in the Android camp. In addition, a domestic manufacturer has already taken this step; judging from the results, its products have basically met people's needs for Internet access, entertainment, and light office work.

In fact, in addition to this manufacturer, Xiaomi has also been reported to enter the notebook industry. If this news is true, what system will Xiaomi's notebook be equipped with?

If it is a Windows system, then:

1. Xiaomi notebooks will directly compete with many traditional notebooks on the market, but in this case, Xiaomi does not seem to have any competitive advantage, and Xiaomi does not have the initiative in the PC supply chain;
2. Windows is firmly in the hands of Microsoft, and choosing Windows is equivalent to being completely dependent on Microsoft at the software level.

This practice of controlling both software and hardware in the hands of others is obviously not Xiaomi's style.

Therefore, if Xiaomi really wants to launch a notebook, then the notebook's operating system is most likely to be Xiaomi's own desktop operating system based on MIUI (let's call it MIUI desktop version). MIUI desktop version will be PC-based on the original MIUI, but the color scheme and icons of the system interface will remain consistent or harmonious; at the same time, MIUI desktop version and MIUI mobile version can also synchronize and share data with each other through data sharing and other methods. Just as MIUI is the core of Xiaomi mobile phones; if Xiaomi really wants to enter the notebook industry, it can only use MIUI desktop version as a selling point.

Of course, the Xiaomi laptop is just a hypothesis; but from this hypothesis we can feel several characteristics of Android PCization:

1. Android's PCization is actually based on Android's openness. This means that manufacturers can customize the system's application store, interface style, operating logic, and other content during the process of Android PCization, which greatly enriches the connotation of PC.
2. One way for Android to become PC-like is for smartphone manufacturers to get involved in the notebook industry. This approach may seem like a step backward, but from the perspective of the full-platform strategy of brand building, it is a development direction when there is enough room for maneuver; most importantly, it can make the connectivity between smartphones and other devices more complete.
3. Android PCization will naturally face the problem of application ecology. Although Android's application ecology can already meet people's basic usage needs, it is obviously extremely lacking in the attributes of productivity tools such as document processing and design production; this is also a major challenge that Android PCization will face.

summary

Android's PCization is still based on the expansion of the use scenarios of the Android system; currently, including Google's Chromebook, are actually in the process of exploring Android's PCization. However, the unified platform strategy of full-size screens is undoubtedly a major trend that even Android cannot avoid.

In fact, the PCization of Android has another significance, which is a challenge to the desktop operating system landscape dominated by Windows. Although this challenge is almost impossible to succeed in a short period of time, it will provide users with other options besides Windows.

We also have reason to believe that after nearly twenty years of dominance by Windows, it is time for a change in the desktop operating system field.