Android Beats Chrome as the Chosen OS for Google Glass

Google GOOG has confirmed that the company's highly anticipated goggles, officially known as Google Glass, will not be powered by Chrome OS or some other new operating system. Rather, Google Glass will use the ultra-successful mobile operating system that can be found in more phones than any other OS in America: Android. Larry Page, Google co-founder and CEO, confirmed Android's inclusion during an earnings call yesterday afternoon. "I think obviously Glass runs on Android, so it's been pretty transportable across devices, and I think that will continue," said Page. This is not the first time that Chrome has lost a battle against Android. While Chrome is still receiving a fair push for Chromebooks, the notebook OS is receiving increased competition from its in-house competitor. More than 250 million Android devices were activated in the last six months alone, far outpacing the 500,000 Chromebooks that have been sold over the last 22 months. Android has a couple of unfair advantages, however. First, Android is supported by dozens of mobile phone manufacturers from all over the world. Chrome, on the other hand, is only supported by a handful of companies. Android also has the luxury of being an OS that was initially designed for mobile phones, which are replaced at a far greater rate than PCs. And while any given household may share a couple of PCs, consumers tend to want their own individual smartphone. To make matter worse, PC sales have been terrible, thanks in part to the rise of tablets. As tablet prices fall into the $200 (and soon $150) range, consumers are frequently tempted to buy a tablet instead of a new laptop. Touch screen notebooks, which often sell for $400, have not improved the situation. Now that Google has chosen to bring Android to Google Glass, the company has confirmed what many consumers already knew: that the future is with Android. Google may continue to support the Chrome format for quite some time, but don't be surprised if the two operating systems are merged into one. If and when that happens, expect Google to retain the Android name and reserve Chrome for the Web browser that carries the same name. Louis Bedigian is the Senior Tech Analyst and Features Writer of Benzinga. You can reach him at 248-636-1322 or louis(at)benzingapro(dot)com. Follow him @LouisBedigianBZ