Google rolls out Chrome OS 70 with a completely redesigned tablet UI, floating Gboard virtual keyboard, support for AV1 decoder, more
Abner Li / 9to5Google :
Context & Ripple Effects
This release lands one month after Chrome OS 69 brought the Material Theme and Linux support, so 70 is the second consecutive update in Google's visual overhaul of the platform. The tablet-specific work is the notable part: it follows the March launch of the Acer Chromebook Tab 10, the first Chrome OS tablet, meaning Google is now shipping interface polish for a hardware category that barely existed on this OS at the start of the year.
First-order effects
- Owners of Chrome OS tablets like the Acer Chromebook Tab 10 get a redesigned touch UI and a floating Gboard keyboard, directly addressing the awkwardness of running a desktop-first OS on slate hardware.
- All Chrome OS users gain AV1 decoding, letting supported devices play next-generation video streams without dedicated silicon.
Second-order effects
- The AV1 decoder positions Chromebooks as early playback targets for AV1 content, pressuring streaming services to treat the platform as a launch surface for the codec alongside traditional media devices.
- Rival tablet platforms face a competitor whose updates now arrive on a monthly cadence with visible touch refinements, rather than treating tablets as an afterthought.
Third-order effects
- If the pattern holds — 69's theme, 70's tablet UI, then 76's virtual desktops and eventually 117's Material You redesign — Chrome OS settles into a rhythm of continuous interface convergence between desktop and touch form factors, making each release a small step toward one OS across laptops and slates.
The trend: Chrome OS is evolving from a browser-centric laptop OS into a dual-form-factor platform, with monthly releases steadily closing the touch-experience gap that separated it from Android tablets.