Firstly - to be the next something, you don't have to be exactly the same. If you are exactly the same, you are not the next one - you are the previous one, but late.
Secondly - as far as Google is concerned - their services ARE their platform. The browser/device used to be a "thin client", but once you start doing shit like putting remote desktop functionality into a browser, there is nothing "thin" about it. So now they have a server-side platform, and a client side beluga whale browser that makes their platform "work best".
Google's tactics in general terms are similar to Microsofts. They use their position in the market to (attempt to) introduce technologies that they control. Their continued (ab)use of the term "open source" is fairly standard for them now:
create/buy <something>. announce/change it as "open source". nerds rejoice. release actual closed source product "based on" the open source version, with no way for user to verify the differences between the two.
Secondly - as far as Google is concerned - their services ARE their platform. The browser/device used to be a "thin client", but once you start doing shit like putting remote desktop functionality into a browser, there is nothing "thin" about it. So now they have a server-side platform, and a client side beluga whale browser that makes their platform "work best".
Google's tactics in general terms are similar to Microsofts. They use their position in the market to (attempt to) introduce technologies that they control. Their continued (ab)use of the term "open source" is fairly standard for them now:
create/buy <something>. announce/change it as "open source". nerds rejoice. release actual closed source product "based on" the open source version, with no way for user to verify the differences between the two.