Android 'Jelly Bean' usage share breaks 10 percent barrier
Over the past few month Google has seen a massive increase in traffic to its Google Play app store from devices running the latest Android 4.1 and 4.2 "Jelly Bean" mobile operating system, and during December the operating system broke the 10 percent barrier.
The data, collected during the 14-day period ending on January 3, 2013, shows that "Jelly Bean" usage share has risen dramatically compared to the same period last month, rising from 6.7 percent to 10.2 percent.
See also: Why Microsoft is right to chase Android patent deals
This increase follows a similar dramatic increase last month, where "Jelly Bean" usage share more than doubled compared to the same period in October, rising from 2.7 percent to 6.7 percent.
Android is seeing spectacular growth, especially in China where two out of every three mobile phones sold were powered by Android, making it the single largest market for the platform.
Overall, it is estimated that around 786 million Android smartphone devices were sold worldwide in 2012.
The slow adoption of new versions of Android affects everyone in the ecosystem. Not only does it force developers to support an ever-increasing array of aging versions, it prevents them from making full use of new features.
It also has an effect on consumer, denying them new features and security updates that help keep their handsets and tablets safe from hackers and malware.
The most popular version of Android continues to be Android 2.3 "Gingerbread," a version that hasn't seen an update since September 2011.
Image source: Google Developer Dashboard.
See also:
- Google needs to get serious about solving the Android upgrade mess
- What's new in Android 4.1 (JellyBean)