The numbers weren't expected to be released until tomorrow, but Google released the new monthly statistics for the Android platform version spread today. Blah, blah, blah, Android "fragmentation"... Okay, we had to get that silliness out of the way, because you know we don't really agree that Android is "fragmented", so why bother giving time to the notion. The platform version numbers are based on "data collected" in the last 14 days of January, though usually the only data that Google uses in this chart is device version numbers from visitors to the Android Market.
Anyway, Ice Cream Sandwich and all its flavors has made it to a full 1% of devices, which means that 1% of the Android ecosystem is made up of the Galaxy Nexus, updated Nexus S, Asus Transformer Prime, Motorola XOOM, and various adventurous root users. Given that the Galaxy Nexus launched in time for the holidays, that doesn't seem like such a great start, especially since Google really pushed hard for major carrier partnerships with this Nexus.
Still, that puts Android 4.x as the second smallest piece of the Android pie, just ahead of Cupcake (0.6%) and tied with Donut (1%). Gingerbread is up a few percentage points, and still makes up the majority of the ecosystem at 58.6%. Froyo comes in second with 27.8% after losing a few points to Gingerbread. Eclair rounds out the field at 7.6%.
Overall, that means that 90.8% of the Android ecosystem is running Android 2.2 or higher. That's not terrible if you take into account that Honeycomb is relegated to the tablet world, and the final Ice Cream Sandwich code has only been available to developers since the middle of November. We were hoping for more of a switch between Froyo and Gingerbread, but maybe manufacturers are planning to jump straight to Ice Cream Sandwich. We can dream, right?
Michael Heller is known for his clear and informative articles on mobile technology. He explores important topics such as the rollouts of 5G networks and the advancements in mobile payments, offering readers insights into the evolving tech landscape.
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