Google has just released its monthly report on the distribution of Android versions across active devices. Report indicates that KitKat has surpassed the 30 percent mark a year after its launch; that’s up from 24.5 percent last month. As for previous versions, Jelly Bean 4.1 to 4.3 totals up to a 50.9 percent, but is down from 53.8 percent a month ago. Ice Cream Sandwich is now just 8.5 percent, down from 9.6 percent, and Gingerbread has crossed into the single digits, now at just 9.8 percent. The latest Android 5.0 Lollipop will likely appear on the map during January’s distribution report.
According to latest IDC report Android pushed past 80% market share for the first time in 3Q13, a testament to its broad and deep list of vendors, including four of the top five vendors worldwide. While Android, as a whole, moved forward, the vast majority of its vendors still struggle to find meaningful market share. Samsung accounted for 39.9% of all Android shipments for the quarter, while the rest of the vendors either saw single-digit market share or, in the case of the majority of vendors, market share of less than 1%.
According to data from Strategy Analytics, Android has reached its peak market share at 85% as seen in Q2 2013. In Q3 2014, Android’s presence has declined by 1 percent point and is now 84%.
Google announced a new Android 5.0 last month. Lollipop brings with it a new “Material Design” language for the UI and accompanying apps along with 5,000 new APIs for developers. Lollipop includes a new battery save mode that will supposedly boost battery life by 90 minutes when users find themselves close to running out of battery. Lollipop also includes Factor Reset Protection, which lets device owners disable their phone remotely.
As per Google, Lollipop is made to keep the experience of using Android consistent across devices. From phones to TVs to smart watches, if the device is running Lollipop, the interface will feel part of the same family, and transitions from device to device will be more seamless. And with things like music, photos and video remembering where you left off.
