I'd like it if they weren't telling two stories. We have almost opposing operating systems being shipped by these guys.
We have Chrome OS on one hand which focuses on the web being the be all and end all of computing. Then we have Android on the other hand which focuses on client side processing.
A coworker explained Google to me as more like a university than a company. It would not be surprising to find two departments in the same university working in divergent or even cross directions.
iOS and Mac OS are not the same. WP8 and Windows 8 are also not the same, just look the same. That being yes, I'd probably prefer some kind of merger, too. But the execution needs to be flawless, and they need to make a compelling case for why you'd use ChromeOS over Android's Chrome when docked to the keyboard.
Android has people downloading "apps", true, but the apps Google pushes still have the "cloud" has their data backend.
It's not like Android's star applications are ones that get you to keep all your data local to your phone. In fact, Chrome OS being centered around the browser (I assume), note the push of the "Google Chrome Web Store" which has browser "apps" installable.
We have Chrome OS on one hand which focuses on the web being the be all and end all of computing. Then we have Android on the other hand which focuses on client side processing.
Which one do they actually believe in?