Thursday, September 11, 2014

Latest Android distribution numbers have KitKat at nearly 25%, Jelly Bean at 54%

The Google Play data for the first week of September is in, and unfortunately, the aging trio of Jelly Bean flavors still rules over the Android realm, with KitKat on the rise, but not nearly fast enough to catch up.



10 months for 25 percent. So long for so little, some may say. And while that’s not entirely unwarranted, it only tells half the story. For the other half, you need to put yourselves in Google’s shoes, at which point you might start to appreciate Android 4.4’s sluggish but steady evolution.

30 days back, KitKat merely ran on one in four active Android devices. Specifically, 20.9 percent of the grand total. A month earlier, the market share of the latest, greatest, smoothest OS version sat at 17.9 percentage points. And in June, it accounted for 13.6 percent of Play Store visits.

The trend is thus conclusive, and the growth, while not drastic, is at least constant. Of course, with Android L right around the corner, fragmentation remains a concern with no easy antidote in sight. But don’t put the whole blame on Google.

Hardware manufacturers consciously build slabs they know they’ll not be able to support for long, and carriers often overdo it with the bloatware and testing. Also, it may sound outlandish, however KitKat isn’t growing faster because of Jelly Bean’s greatness and stability too.



We’re not saying Android 4.1, 4.2 or 4.3 are better than 4.4, but for many, they’re good enough. Hence, why KitKat sits at 24.5 percent, and Jelly Bean at a whopping combined total of 53.8. Android 4.1 continues to be the general*leader, with 25.1 points, followed by 4.2 (20.7), and 4.3 (8.0).

Interestingly, JB “shares” actually took a small dip between August and September, dropping from 54.2 to 53.8 percent. Meanwhile, I’m sorry, Google, I’m sorry, third-party OEMs and carriers, but you have no excuse for keeping Ice Cream Sandwich, Gingerbread and especially Froyo around.

For crying out loud, 2.2 Froyo is over four years old, and 0.7 percent of all Androids are somehow stuck with it. Oh, well, at least ICS and old Gingy are slipping on their way to oblivion, falling from 10.6 and 13.6 percent respectively in August to 9.6 and 11.4 earlier this month. Begone already, clunky decrepit pieces of software!

Source: Android Developers



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