The Jellybean iteration of Android experienced a bit of a jump this month, claiming 25% of the whole Android platform, up from the 16.5% it had last month. Part of this is down to the way Google now collect this data, as they noted that:
'Beginning in April, 2013, these charts are now built using data collected from each device when the user visits the Google Play Store. Previously, the data was collected when the device simply checked-in to Google servers. We believe the new data more accurately reflects those users who are most engaged in the Android and Google Play ecosystem.'
Now I can't really tell how sincere this is, as it could just be an attempt to make it look like Android is moving forward rather than staying about the same in terms of software versions, but then again Google doesn't gain much from doing so as this argument usually rages amongst fanboys and the 'old fragmentation is rife on Android' war. So I guess you'll have to judge for yourselves, but it's worth noting that in essence Google is trying to cut out those who don't regularly access the Play Store, which I think is a bit unfair as they still could be using their phones.
Other flavours and their performance
Since the way the data is collected has changed, you should be a bit cautious comparing figures month-on-month this time around but I've done it anyway for comparison It seems Gingerbread is starting to fade (finally), claiming 39.8% of the overall share, down from 44.2% last month. Still a majority but falling very quickly. Ice Cream Sandwich is gaining slightly with 29.3% of the shares, up from with 28.6% last month and as mentioned above, Jellybean is up from 16.5% to 25%.
This chart taken directly from the Google blog represents the numbers as a pie chart.
What does this mean?
Well, not much as there is still a division between three different versions of Android and with Key Lime Pie coming up very quickly (touted for a summer release) it will likely cause more fragmentation. What's clear is that Gingerbread is stubborn as it's likely that older devices which are no longer officially supported are stuck on the OS but Jellybean is powering ahead and should overtake as the main OS in the near future, with the sales of the Galaxy S4 no doubt accelerating that.
Is it a problem?
I don't think it's a particularly big problem, most apps on the Play Store are compatible with phones that have Froyo and above on them, which translates into 98.2% of all Android phones, with only a slew of new apps now requiring Ice Cream Sandwich and above to operate. As long as developers create apps that are compatible with legacy phones then it's not a problem and since there is no sign of it stopping then I'm not worried about older devices becoming a relic that have no compatible apps available for them. It also wouldn't make sense for developers to create apps specifically for the later versions of Android as the older one still have a commanding slice of the shares.
Mo
'Beginning in April, 2013, these charts are now built using data collected from each device when the user visits the Google Play Store. Previously, the data was collected when the device simply checked-in to Google servers. We believe the new data more accurately reflects those users who are most engaged in the Android and Google Play ecosystem.'
Now I can't really tell how sincere this is, as it could just be an attempt to make it look like Android is moving forward rather than staying about the same in terms of software versions, but then again Google doesn't gain much from doing so as this argument usually rages amongst fanboys and the 'old fragmentation is rife on Android' war. So I guess you'll have to judge for yourselves, but it's worth noting that in essence Google is trying to cut out those who don't regularly access the Play Store, which I think is a bit unfair as they still could be using their phones.
Other flavours and their performance
Since the way the data is collected has changed, you should be a bit cautious comparing figures month-on-month this time around but I've done it anyway for comparison It seems Gingerbread is starting to fade (finally), claiming 39.8% of the overall share, down from 44.2% last month. Still a majority but falling very quickly. Ice Cream Sandwich is gaining slightly with 29.3% of the shares, up from with 28.6% last month and as mentioned above, Jellybean is up from 16.5% to 25%.
What does this mean?
Well, not much as there is still a division between three different versions of Android and with Key Lime Pie coming up very quickly (touted for a summer release) it will likely cause more fragmentation. What's clear is that Gingerbread is stubborn as it's likely that older devices which are no longer officially supported are stuck on the OS but Jellybean is powering ahead and should overtake as the main OS in the near future, with the sales of the Galaxy S4 no doubt accelerating that.
Is it a problem?
I don't think it's a particularly big problem, most apps on the Play Store are compatible with phones that have Froyo and above on them, which translates into 98.2% of all Android phones, with only a slew of new apps now requiring Ice Cream Sandwich and above to operate. As long as developers create apps that are compatible with legacy phones then it's not a problem and since there is no sign of it stopping then I'm not worried about older devices becoming a relic that have no compatible apps available for them. It also wouldn't make sense for developers to create apps specifically for the later versions of Android as the older one still have a commanding slice of the shares.
Mo
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