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RE: Google's New Year resolution must be Android's virtualization

larryvand Updated - 2nd Jan

@Return_of_the_jedi - I agree. As a user all I care is if the software I use is supported. May I remind everyone about Windows 95 and Windows NT? Or Windows XP later? If you wanted it, you bought a new PC.

Or with iPhone or iPhone 3G? And why are we using Apple's "sales" cycle? Cause the "sales" cycle has nothing to do with it. Yes, they are keeping each version of iPhone to 2 OS updates, but so does Google. And even most of Apple's updates are bastardized. The iPhone3G and 3GS received iOS4 but it had major features missing not to mention huge bugs and problems. And even with iOS 5, four out of 5 versions of iPhones out there (97% of all iPhones out there), are missing the biggest feature of iOS5 which is Siri. Even iPhones that people bought 4 months ago. And not only that but 3 months after iOS5 became available, more than 63% of iPhone3GS and iPhone4 are still running iOS3 or iOS4. And Apple controls everything. I mean everything. Hardware, software, OS. Everything. Yet they have fragmentation. But what does that mean?? Can the users still using iPhone3G and iOS3 make calls, access the browser and internet, play games, listen to music, download apps?? Of course they can. They can still use their phone to be productive.

And so can Android phones. 98% run 2.1+. They can makes calls, access the internet and browser, even run Flash which all iPhones can NOT do, play music, play videos, and play apps. And most of the 500,000 apps in the android market are 2.1+ compatible... and that means they will run on 98% of the Android phones out there.

On top of that, unlike iPhones who are stuck with Apple telling them what they can and can not do, Android phones have AOSP or the Android Open Source Project. If you head over to CyanogenMod page, they have a bazzilion phones running the latest OS. And in a few weeks they would have a bazzillion more running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sanswitch. For Apple iPhones like the 3G, you are out of luck. Not so with Android phones. So fragmentation IMO is not a problem and is way overrated.

Having said all that, virtualization will be a welcome feature. Not for fragmentation. But for having multiple user account on Tablets or separating Business and Personal on your phone. So I'm all for virtualization but for the reason you stated.