Google is two years into a plan to consolidate the Chrome operating system -- which it uses as the platform for a series of stripped down, low-cost computers -- and the Android mobile OS, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.
Google officials quickly pushed back against the WSJ report, which claims that the company, now a subsidiary of the newly formed Alphabet conglomerate, plans to roll out a combined OS in 2017.
Chromebooks running the Chrome OS -- Acer's C910 is pictured above -- have gained adoption as entry-level computers for students and as a low-cost option for a growing number of corporate customers.
Shortly after the WSJ report appeared, Hiroshi Lockheimer, senior vice president at Google, tweeted a response: