Schmidt says Android is not fragmented
Ice Cream Sandwich, first seen running on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, is set to unite both Android’s smartphone-optimized OS (Gingerbread) and tablet-optimized OS (Honeycomb). However, there are still a lot who are complaining about Android’s fragmentation. It seems Google’s chairman, Eric Schmidt, is sick and tired of hearing this.
Sooner or later, all Android devices will either be updated to Android version 4.0 such as the Samsung Galaxy S2 or inevitably not receive any more updates due to hardware restrictions such as the Samsung Galaxy S. Despite this, we still hear rants about ICS not being the same on every device that runs it.
At CES 2012, Schmidt said, “Differentiation is positive, fragmentation is negative.
“Differentiation means that you have a choice and the people who are making the phones, they’re going to compete on their view of innovation, and they’re going to try and convince you that theirs is better than somebody else.”
Schmidt added, “It’s not required that everyone use the same interface. People are free to make the necessary changes. What’s great is if you don’t like it, you can buy the phone from someone else.”
Apparently, it’s all about apps. He said, “What people really care about is that there’s an interoperable ecosystem of apps. Since smartphone users love their apps, Schmidt added that they would not be as strict when it comes to their approval process just like Apple.
Do you think Android is still fragmented regardless of Ice Cream Sandwich, or you could care less just as long as you get to enjoy more from apps from the Android Market? Share your thoughts.
