Next month, Google’s fifth major version of
Android will have been publicly available for
one year. In that time, new handsets have
shipped with the OS, and some older handsets
have been offered a software upgrade to reach
the latest version with the stability and security
that it offers. After a year of work, how much of
an impact has Lollipop had on the Android
ecosystem?
Twenty three and a half percent.
That’s the share that all the versions of Lollipop
has achieved. Of course Google has ensured that
the Nexus device under its direct control will be
on the latest version of the OS, and consumers
who have SIM-free handsets direct from the
manufacturers have a better chance of getting
any updates rather than wait for a network to
also certify the update, but the inability to roll
out new code has always been an Achilles heel
for Android – and events this year have shown
up the dangers.
Google has worked to mitigated the issues, using
the Google Play Services library to pass out some
updates to the software, and lifting as many
applications as possible outside of the firmware
bundles and into the pre-installed applications so
they can be updated in the same way as a third-
party application.
The public exposure of the StageFright
vulnerabilities has seen Google push
manufacturers and networks to sign up to its
monthly security updates and push these
through regularly, but uptake has not been
universal – HTC is the latest manufacturer that
is having to say thanks but no thanks because it
believes a monthly update is unrealistic when
put alongside the demands of carrier testing
programs.
In contrast, Apple’s ability roll out iOS updates
and bug fixes has a pace that I’m sure Android
engineers look on with envy.
Android Marshmallow is expected to be publicly
available next month, certainly on the new
Nexus devices, but I would expect to see some of
the smaller and more nimble handset
manufacturers pick up on the new version to be
seen as cutting edge and cash in on the goodwill
from the geekerati.
Unfortunately there’s no sign ( beyond a little bit
of psychology) that Google is able to force
through a change that would improve the
update situation in 2016. That alone speaks
both to the weakness of Android, and the
weakness of Google in the ecosystem. With more
commercial pressures likely to be placed on
Android manufacturers next year to reduce both
the build cost and the ongoing support costs to
maximise the profit in the low-margin high-
volume market spaces, it’s unlikely that Android
is going to improve on its ability to update itself
one a handset leaves the factory.
Android will have been publicly available for
one year. In that time, new handsets have
shipped with the OS, and some older handsets
have been offered a software upgrade to reach
the latest version with the stability and security
that it offers. After a year of work, how much of
an impact has Lollipop had on the Android
ecosystem?
Twenty three and a half percent.
That’s the share that all the versions of Lollipop
has achieved. Of course Google has ensured that
the Nexus device under its direct control will be
on the latest version of the OS, and consumers
who have SIM-free handsets direct from the
manufacturers have a better chance of getting
any updates rather than wait for a network to
also certify the update, but the inability to roll
out new code has always been an Achilles heel
for Android – and events this year have shown
up the dangers.
Google has worked to mitigated the issues, using
the Google Play Services library to pass out some
updates to the software, and lifting as many
applications as possible outside of the firmware
bundles and into the pre-installed applications so
they can be updated in the same way as a third-
party application.
The public exposure of the StageFright
vulnerabilities has seen Google push
manufacturers and networks to sign up to its
monthly security updates and push these
through regularly, but uptake has not been
universal – HTC is the latest manufacturer that
is having to say thanks but no thanks because it
believes a monthly update is unrealistic when
put alongside the demands of carrier testing
programs.
In contrast, Apple’s ability roll out iOS updates
and bug fixes has a pace that I’m sure Android
engineers look on with envy.
Android Marshmallow is expected to be publicly
available next month, certainly on the new
Nexus devices, but I would expect to see some of
the smaller and more nimble handset
manufacturers pick up on the new version to be
seen as cutting edge and cash in on the goodwill
from the geekerati.
Unfortunately there’s no sign ( beyond a little bit
of psychology) that Google is able to force
through a change that would improve the
update situation in 2016. That alone speaks
both to the weakness of Android, and the
weakness of Google in the ecosystem. With more
commercial pressures likely to be placed on
Android manufacturers next year to reduce both
the build cost and the ongoing support costs to
maximise the profit in the low-margin high-
volume market spaces, it’s unlikely that Android
is going to improve on its ability to update itself
one a handset leaves the factory.
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