Google will open its annual I/O developer conference this week, with the company expected to use the event to lay out the future of its laptop software and its consumer hardware strategy.
The most closely watched announcement concerns “Aluminium OS,” an operating system built on Android that Google is preparing as a replacement for ChromeOS in the consumer laptop market. Full details, including which hardware partners will support it, are expected during the conference.
According to descriptions of the project, Aluminium OS is designed to look and feel more like a conventional desktop, with an Android-style interface, a bottom dock, virtual desktops and native support for Android apps. A companion feature is intended to let the system work alongside Apple’s iPhone.
The shift would mark one of the most significant changes to Google’s computing platforms in more than a decade. ChromeOS, launched in 2011, built a substantial presence in education and lower-cost laptops, but has remained a distinct product line from Android.
Folding the two together would simplify Google’s software portfolio and give its laptop platform direct access to the far larger Android app ecosystem, narrowing a long-standing gap with Apple and Microsoft.
A Google executive has previously confirmed that the new system is targeted for a 2026 launch, though the company has said little publicly about timing or the devices that will run it.
I/O is also expected to feature a broad slate of announcements on artificial intelligence, the area into which Google, like its largest rivals, has poured the bulk of its recent investment.