Windows 10 S is being positioned competitively against Google’s Chromebooks, with the major selling factor being access to Win32 apps in the Windows Store.
Google’s Chromebooks themselves were also set for an influx of apps, with the addition of support for the Google Play store and the millions of phone apps it contains.
Now it appears wide support for this feature, which was due to arrive in April, has been delayed. It was set to be delivered first on the Samsung Chromebook Pro and that device has been pushed back, it is believed largely due to the immaturity of the feature.
According to users who have tested Android apps on Chromebooks, the experience still leaves a lot to be desired, with apps reportedly jittery and taking poor advantage of the large screen.
According to Samsung, the Chromebook Pro is still due in Spring, meaning Samsung still has around 5 weeks to deliver the device.
While Chromebooks have seen their main success when foisted on students against their choice (muck like we think Windows 10 S will succeed or fail) the addition of Android apps increases its existential threat to Windows in less developed markets, where very large segments of the population have never used Windows PCs and rely on Android phones and apps for all their computing. Adding a desktop experience using their familiar apps at a very low cost could mean these users would never use a Windows OS.
Of course just because Android apps on Chromebooks are delayed does not mean Google has given up on this feature, which means Microsoft needs to find a way to win over these customers before Google locks them in permanently.
