Back at IFA 2016, Lenovo debuted a fresh, futuristic take on an Android tablet called the Yoga Book, complete with a touch screen, Halo Keyboard, and Wacom stylus support. The device launched with Android and eventually became a Windows 2-in-1 (which we’re currently reviewing). However, during an interview with TechRadar, it was revealed that the company was strongly considering bringing Chrome OS with Android app support to their unique notebook. Now, in a new interview with Tom’s Guide, we now have confirmation that in 2017, Lenovo will launch a special edition of the Yoga Book with Chrome OS pre-loaded.
Lenovo will be offering this 2-in-1 in a new flavor: Chrome OS. The product should hit the market by midyear.
Thanks to Google merging Chrome OS and Android so closely together, Lenovo says they’ll be launching the Yoga Book with the operating system mentioned, therefore creating a perfect environment for those who like to do work on their 2-in-1 but still enjoy the flexibility Android apps offer on a standalone tablet. It may even be useful for educational purposes, an area Lenovo is highly exploring.
If you’ve followed recent happenings in the world of Google, you’ll know there’s been rumors of a new OS Google is working on called Andromeda that’ll basically take everything great from Chrome OS and Android and merge it all together into one insane package. If this ever comes to be, it’s likely that Lenovo won’t offer the Yoga Book in individual Android and Chrome OS flavors. However, the company says they plan on offering “the three” models for at least another year or so.
“Over time, we probably see the Android and Chrome versions melding together, especially based on the fact that we’ve now seen Chrome roll out the Google Play store capability into Chrome,” Meredith told Tom’s Guide. “We’ll probably maintain the three distinctive products throughout the next year at least.”
To me, I think Chrome OS would fit the Yoga Book to a T. It’s got way too much potential to be limited to a heavily skinned version of Android, while it’s not entirely suited to become a full-fledged Windows 2-in-1. Therefore, by blending the productivity benefits from Chrome OS and Android app support, you may have a match made in Heaven. Of course, it all depends on how Lenovo implements the OS as sketching tools and a few customizations due to the hardware on board will need to be made, but at first glance, a Yoga Chrome-Book would be pretty stellar.
- SOURCE: Tom’s Guide
- VIA: 9to5Google
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