Weekly Poll: Is Chrome or Android More Important to Google?

Last week, few people were surprised to see Google launching their latest Nexus 7 tablet. That was rather expected. What surprised us all was the launch of the $35 Chromecast, a HDMI dongle to steam internet video from apps and the Chrome browser to your TV. The feature set and price were interesting, of course, especially after the failure of last year's Nexus Q and Google TV. But what was more interesting, perhaps, was the Chromecast's branding — with the Chrome browser's name, not Android — especially after it was discovered that the Chromecast is powered by a stripped-down Android.

AppleInsider has published a rather interesting piece speculating that Google will eventually drop the Android brand and focus everything on Chrome. Google already makes the majority of their money from search, and Android — despite its popularity and prevalence in smartphones, tablets, and even refrigerators — has yet to make much at all. The Chrome browser, though, is more directly aligned with Google's web interests since it keeps you on the web, where Google's already monetized their services.

It seems an unlikely stretch of imagination to think that Google would drop Android now, but the lack of a new version this year does seem odd. So what do you think? Will Google focus more on Chrome going forward, or will Android continue to be an equally significant part of Google's interests?

    

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