Android on Desktops and Laptops? A Matter of Time

BY Ray Hendon

It has been apparent for some time that the Android operating system would eventually be adopted as an operating system for laptop and desktop designs.  As a touch system it has had years in which to mature, as it has done.  Version 4.2 is the best it has ever been, and competitive with Apples OS X and iOS in most every way.

Android also has another tactical advantage:  it has tens of millions of users who know and like it from their uses of it on tablets and smartphones.  But, this advantage is somewhat subdued by the competition of Apple and Microsoft’s Windows 8.  Both of these operating systems have the advantage of running on larger screens, and countless millions of users who have used their products for a long time.

It is fortunate for Android that Windows 8 has not been a runaway success, so that is another advantage for Android on a laptop and desktop—except, of course, that it is not written for large screens.  Can the engineers at Google correct this shortcoming?  Certainly they can given enough time and experience.  But it will remain an open question until Android goes head to head for a while with Apple and Windows 8 devices.

We will soon see this battle played out, most likely beginning later this year.  Acer has just announced that it will offer an all-in-one desktop computer, probably with a 21-inch screen and keyboard soon.  And they also plan on trying Android on a laptop. The picture below is of Acer's "prototype" N3-220 all-in-one.   

Although “prototype” is its current designation, an Acer executive at Computex last week made it clear that it is Acer’s plan to put the refined version into a production model, along with laptop designs as well.

The screen size is well beyond anything we have seen running under Android, but that will be a matter of technical adjustments.

The larger problem for Android is that there are no apps in its Play Store that would look good if blown up to this pixel count.  In other words, virtually all of the hundreds of thousand apps in the store will have to be rewritten to accommodate the larger screen.  How many developers are willing to take on that task with nothing more than hope that a large screen Android desktop/laptop will be successful?

When the computer reaches the American market Acer plans to have a number of such apps re-engineered and pre-loaded.  Whether this will be enough to generate a sufficient sales level  awaits an answer by the end of this year.

I think Android on laptops and desktops may be successful.  Chromebook is one example of an Android OS competing reasonably well against some entrenched competition from the stalwart firms.