Rumors and Jelly Beans

The fragmented nature of the Android platform has been a thorn in the side of Google and all of their loyal users. It arose out of a kind of detached philosophy: Google focused on open (well, sort of open) software development and set it loose into the world. According to ZDNet, only 5 percent of Android devices were running the latest version (Ice Cream Sandwich) more than six months after its release. By contrast, 38 percent of iPhone users had upgraded to iOS 5 just two weeks after its launch. Now, Google is changing gears to ease their fragmentation woes.

Tired of their OS being a neglected orphan, Google plans to make sure it gets a good and nurturing home. They’re going to give early access to the next Android release, Jelly Bean, to five device manufacturers, and Google will sell those devices directly. This ensures that the user will be getting the latest version of the OS (and will likely be getting faster OS upgrades) without being locked in with one device manufacturer. Also, this means wireless carriers won’t be the ones holding all the cards. Competition is a good thing.

This move breaks with Google’s earlier strategy of giving only one device manufacturer early access to the OS, which meant that the other manufacturers kept pushing old versions (and feeling left out of the loop).

More devices, more networks, and the newest OS are appealing factors to consumers and developers. Here at Media Genesis, we’re waiting to see how this pans out, because, as a company that creates technologies for use on mobile devices, reducing OS fragmentation makes our job easier.

But does this mean a change in philosophy and a dangerous step toward a walled garden? Nope. You can still go through the old channels if you really want to. The new strategy will hopefully result in reduced fragmentation while delivering an array of options, and we already know that Android users are fans of options.