Google Finally Addressing Android Fragmentation

Too little, too late. Android for phones is really irrelevant now that the iPhone is available for the two largest carriers in the US. As for tablets, Android is a complete joke and utter failure. Hopefully the WebOS tablets or the RIM Playbook offers some competition to Apple, because Android tablets are an even bigger waste of money than the phones, and that's saying a LOT!

Why are they addressing a problem that doesn't exist? Ask any Apple hater and they'll tell you there is no fragmentation problem with Android. **end sarcasm**

I just wish the dislike button worked... this deserves to be hidden.

I've used both Android tablets and the Ipad, and the two aren't really that different.
In terms of Android vs. iPhone, some people enjoy being able to download whatever application anyone makes, and some people enjoy having phones with physical keyboards or with no keyboard or with whatever any hardware manufacturer comes up with, isntead of the one-size-fits-all deal from Apple. Sure, having multiple versions and multiple hardware designs is complex, but that doesn't make it bad. Look at Microsoft. Sure, their software isn't always the best, but it can do pretty much anything, and tons of people buy it.

I wouldn't have a job if I'd gone Mac when I was little and experimenting with computers. Turns out Windows and Linux make a nice combination for CAD and CFD. Not everyone's an engineer, though.

This coming from a Windows Mobile 6.5 user. Windows mobile is slow, but it's pretty robust, and it can get a lot of work done. Plus, I just like the Touch Pro 2. I suppose I'll have to jump ship now that Microsoft has turned Windows Mobile in to some kind of social networking thing - I need my phone to do real, live, work.

Crapple fan boys don't don't know the power of freedom of android and that is why they have to comment on something that they know nothing about, just look around android dominates ios. It is the number one phone OS and is leaving the grapple devices in the dust. Crapple devices are for people that can't think or do tech stuff on their own, simple minds need simple devices.

i agree very much with you....apple is very strong player when it comes to the mobile market...i wish google would stick with what they do best... web search....

Android has a bigger market share than Apple's iOS does...

Jesus Christ people, just use what you want and don't worry that the other guy doesn't feel the same as you. I get so sick of everyone bashing the brand/company that they don't use. They sound like a bunch of whining spoiled brat kids.
Personally I don't like Apple, but that means I won't use them. Not that you are an idiot for liking them. Or that I'm going to spout out stupid crap that I don't know anything about, just because I feel that it is the way it should be.

CRAPPLE CRAPPLE CRAPPLE CRAPPLE jesus what a mad nerd.

P.S. "tech stuff" aka "I write World of Warcraft addons" aka "I'm a loser"

While Andyrules worded it too strongly, he does have a point. From a purely technological point of view, Android is superior. It offers more functionalities, is more flexible and has many features iOS lacks. It's also more secure (although that's more than negated by the lack of quality control in the Android Market).

iOS is simple, looks good and is reliable. That's what most people want a mobile OS to do, so iOS' simplicity is probably a good thing. However, when it comes to features that a tech pro needs/wants, iOS is lacking.

Agree with you. I only use macs and other Apple products when people ask me for support.
That doesn't mean they're no good devices. Those users just have some specific task they want their device to do and no more. For most consumers that's exactly their usage profile. For me and other enthusiasts on the other hand, I won't buy something I can't mess around with. That's just what suits me. For most people, the less they can mess, the better.

Android is s much better mobile OS. Keep ranting sheeple.

Trolls eat trolls

The fragmentation issue is not as big as people think, you dont have to build different versions of your application for different versions of the Android OS. If you build your app for Android 2.0, it will work on any Android 2.0+ OS. If you build it for 1.6, it will work on 1.6 or greater. So they just have to pick how far back they want to support. It will always work going forward.

Trolls, they be a trollin'.

If screen size fragmentation is such an issue, somebody should inform Rovio.. Angry Birds scales nicely to all screen sizes, even tablets.

At least they show they are interested in supporting prior versions of their own software. Too many software companies forget about their own prior iterations when they upgrade, as if they never existed, and a lot of customers are left in the dark just because they purchased a product earlier and kept it instead of buying a newer one every 6 months or so. Even Apple caused a lot of problems with their latest iOS versions to first and second generation iphone owners, so I would not give Apple as a positive example on this one.

iOS is a much better mobile OS. Keep ranting, nerd.

Yeah, but Rovio is a company with lots of experience and lots of sales, which means money to invest and test their software on multiple platforms.
If the developer is independent and not super rich he'll have trouble testing his software on dozens and dozens of android devices all different. Compare that to Apple - 4 phones, 3 touchpads, 2 ipads. And I think you can easily skip the first two generation which means that currently a developer could support just 4 devices, that are pretty similar.
Also AppStore sells much better than Android marketplace.Gameloft's sales on iphone were 400x larger than on Android.

Put the Commodore64 OS on these babies.

Freedom of Android basically means piracy.

Wow, the hate mongering is really rolling in this thread. I have written mobile apps for both Android and iOS, they both have their strengths and weaknesses. At the core, they both do the same thing. When it comes to development, Android is easier to build for as it uses standard Java as its base development language. Objective-C has been limited in the market place for years due to the low adoption of Apple hardware (still under 8% desktop market share). The fragmentation issue is fairly limited as the further back you select your development platform the more devices it supports. The screen size issue is really not a big deal, nor is it any different that what iOS has to deal with between the phone/pad. Apps in iOS don't magically resize and look clean on the iPad. High quality graphics have to be re-done for the larger screen size and in most cases have to be re-written to take full advantage of the larger screen just like Android.

The reality is that they are not really even competing against each other. Apple is targeting the 200-300+ phone range and Android is targeting the 0 to 300 range. There is a little overlap but the reality is that at the end of the day they are both going to be as Charlie likes to say "Winners!".

If Apple tries to compete vs Android in the low to mid range market it will not be able to complete vs the multiple vendor model Android has because more than one vendor can turn around phones with increasingly better hardware and options faster than just 1 vendor. That is why Apple sticks to the higher price market, in that range there are fewer phones released and less competition.

All of this talk is just that, talk. Android and iOS are both here to stay, and the market is most likely going to be divided with Android having the larger market share just because it is targeting the low-mid cost segment.

* Last note, "Freedom of Android basically means piracy" .. piracy of what? The OS is free, iOS apps can't be copied to Android so those can't be stolen. You can load ripped/downloaded music and video to an iOS device so that does not stop that form of piracy. Maybe you could be more clear with your statement otherwise your just using words you do not understand.

Only because greedy manufacturers didn't listen too Google when they told them to wait for Android 3.0, thanks to Samsung we now have lots of tablets running 2.2 just to compete with the Galaxy Tab.

I blame Samsung for making the Android tablet market this messed up.

Curious thing: It does work. Not when you look here, but if I come at the comments stream for an article through the Forums, I see what looks like the old scores.

Oh, I was under impression that many of the Android fanatics and Google alike were in a state of denial about fragmentation. That's all you see ever in posts about fragmentation.

Blame Samsung? If you are going use the warped logic, then better also blame Huwaei, Archos, Cowon, Yang-Hua, RIM, CMS Computer, Shenzen, and Olivetti to name a few...hate to tell you there, but there were MANY different android tablets available LONG BEFORE the Galaxy Tab.

The way I see it, Google is slow to address the fragmentation issue (which is really a NON-ISSUE) as even a blind man could have seen potential problems coming with all the different devices and screen sizes.

What a clueless statement, made me laugh!

I agree totally, however Android also serves as the graduating platform for Apple users that have become more sophisticated while learning on the iDevice, and have come to want more. There is section of former Apple users that aren't calculated into the marketing scheme, that have jumped shipped once they've figured out how to use a smart phone.