The development of the Andriod OS is moving at the very fast pace. It began with the unnamed verson 1.1 in Feb 2009, Google then dropped the 1.5 version called Cupcake in late April. Andriods Cupcake only lasted 4 months, it was then replaced with Donut in September version 1.6. And that one really didn’t last long as it was replaced about 45 days later with version 2.0/2.1 known as clair (getting hungry?).
The wait between 2.0/2.1 and Froyo, version 2.2 was a bit longer, going from late October 2009 to late May 2010. this version was not brought out before Google announced in Feb 2009 they were on track to create a version called Gingerbread.
Android fans have shown confusion and dismay at the randomly changing OS landscape. App developers in particular are frosted that their apps can only be used with the most recent versions of the OS. Likewise with users who are creamed that they can’t get the app they just heard about because it’s not supported by the version of the OS that they currently have.
That said, as the OSs develop the features and benefits also increase. Users look forward to benefits such as:
· Increased performance capabilities
· Boosts in speed
· Faster browsing
· Ease of use
· Backups and restoring files
Despite the fact that most users are upset over the OS chaos, and their phone seem useless after 2 months, Google is still a success. It has only taken Googles Android 18 months to become an iPhone contender. This is quite possibly the reason why Android OS is just constantly moving. As the two battle it out for dominance over the smartphone world (Androids have recently overtaken Apple’s iPhones in the North American market), the rapid fire developments aren’t likely to slow down significantly.
That said, Google’s VP of Engineering for Android, Andry Rubin, has stated that in the near future, Android OS development will switch to a yearly cycle rather than the haphazard schedule it’s currently on in order to be much more sustainable: “Our product cycle is now, basically twice a year, and it will probably end up being once a year when things start settling down, because a platform that’s moving it’s hard for developers to keep up. I want developers to basically leverage the innovation. I don’t want developers to have to predict the innovation.”
One this is definate, Google has by staying open to the web and opening up it’s software to developers and handsets, has positioned itself to reaching a collosal potential audience. By maintaining its focus where it is already strong – in the world of search – Google is likely to continue to see success, despite its multiple dessert-like personalities.
The sources for the article are Virgin mobile USA and Virgin mobile.
Gartner projects consumers will spend $6.2 billion on mobile apps in 2010 and generate $600 million in advertising revenues. They also say 82% of free to download, mostly powered through advertising. Gartner breaks down the smartphone user base at the end of 2009 as follows:
