Update: Google on Thursday unveiled the touch-based Chromebook Pixel. For more, see PCMag’s hands on with the $1,299 laptop.

Original story:
As the world focuses on Google’s new Glass project, the Web giant is reportedly also developing its first touch-screen Chromebook, according to the Wall Street Journal(Opens in a new window).

The move would not be surprising, since the gap between laptops and tablets continues to close, thanks in part to Windows 8-based touch-screen PCs. NPD said last month that tablet growth will easily outpace worldwide laptop sales this year.

To keep up with the changing times, Google must do more than simply build the devices; the company must also entice programmers to write compatible applications, the Journal pointed out. Chromebooks are designed primarily for Web-based apps like word processing and HTML5 games, the paper said, but Google is pushing for more cloud-based app development.

Google hasn’t exactly been at the top of the laptop sales market, selling only about 100,000 Chromebooks, the Journal said, despite pricing that starts at $199 and trusted manufacturers like Samsung and Acer.

Google is already playing the touch-screen game, with hugely popular smartphone and tablet devices running the Android platform. Touch-based Chromebooks would prove competition for Google’s own products, but the company isn’t sweating the inside rivalry, the Journal said.

Google did not immediately respond to PCMag’s request for comment.

For more, see PCMag’s review of the Acer C7 Chromebook (slideshow above), as well as the Samsung Chromebook Series 3 and Samsung Series 5 Chromebook 550.