For several years iOS has set the bar pretty high when it came to users installing new OS versions. Within days of a new iOS version being released by Apple, millions upon millions of people will have downloaded and installed it. Partly this is because Apple has been very good at making new versions available to older devices and partly because users know how to update the software.
Android has lagged in support for new features because developers have been faced with supporting older versions. Until recently, in North America, to reach 85-90% of Android users would require supporting versions all the way back to 2011’s Ice Cream Sandwich. Globally the numbers are still quite different but within North America the market share of the most recent versions are improving rapidly.
A new report from Chitika, which runs an advertising network, has seen the market share for KitKat, the latest version of Android, rise to 37% which means with Jelly Bean (released mid 2012) supporting those versions will cover about 84% of North American users.
Jelly Bean introduced new camera controls and features, widgets on the lock screen, and multiple profiles on tablet devices. For developers, Jelly Bean is the oldest OS that will support NFC, and Bluetooth LE support was introduced with 4.2.2 part way through Jelly Bean’s lifecycle. The Internet of Things (IoT) depends on wireless communication and a large percentage of users will now be ready.
It looks like the makers of Android devices are working harder to get the latest versions into the hands of their customers. If this continues we should consistently be able to focus more on the current versions in developing both applications and web sites.
The full report: http://chitika.com/insights/2014/android-kitkat-update
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