Google Android Platform Distribution Numbers Updated

The Android platform initially took some time in gaining traction with consumers but it pulled through. Now it is one of most widely used platforms in the world. Android powers smartphone and tablets that are developed by a plethora of manufacturers around the globe. To help us understand better how certain Android versions have performed or are currently performing, Google has updated Android platform distribution numbers. This data gives us an insight in to the distribution of Android software ever since the first version came out.

Google released two major Android updates within less than one year. Back in mid-2011 the internet search giant release Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Till the end of 2011, this new update only accounted for less than 10% Android devices around the globe. This was the case due to the fact that most older Android devices were not compatible with Ice Cream Sandwich as most of the updates it came with required newer technology.

With Ice Cream Sandwich adoption numbers being that low, Google announced Android 4.1 Jelly Bean about a couple of months back. This latest Android platform update is not exactly as big as Ice Cream Sandwich was, but it does bring a suite of new features and overall platform improvements. Roll out of this latest update is under way and most Ice Cream Sandwich devices will be compatible to receive the official Jelly Bean update.

According to the latest Android adoption numbers, Ice Cream Sandwich now accounts for 15.8% of all Android devices in the world. Honeycomb, which was an update geared specifically towards Android tablets, has a low adoption number of 1.8%. This is partly due to the fact that Android tablets have not gained much consumer interest. The only Android powered tablet that is selling like hot cakes is the Kindle Fire, which ironically runs a heavily modified version of Android. Android 2.3 Gingerbread is still the most widely used Android version to date, with adoption numbers as high as 60.3%.

The latest version, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, currently only accounts for 0.8% of all devices. It should be kept in mind though that this particular version has little under a year to establish itself in the market before Google releases Android 5.0 in 2013. There is a lot of time and as manufacturers release new devices that will run on this new Android firmware, the adoption numbers of Google’s latest software will surely increase in the very near foreseeable future.