Three months ago Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt predicted… well, he predicted a lot of crazy stuff, actually. But one of his predictions was that developers would be shipping for Android first within six months. And guess what? It’s halftime.
That’s right, here we are in mid-March, and the Macalope suspects Schmidt probably wishes he had that extra hour we lost over the weekend.
Set your clocks back to December 7th.
One Android-toting audience member said he was frustrated to see iOS apps beating Android versions to market. But in part because of Ice Cream Sandwich, “my prediction is that six months from now you’ll say the opposite,” Schmidt said.
Ah. Ice Cream Sandwich. Well, users sure love new features, don’t they? Say, what percentage of devices are running ICS, anyway?
As of March 5th, a whopping 1.6 percent. Well, that might seem low now, but it could easily more than double by June when Schmidt’s prediction comes due!
So…
You know…
It really makes you wonder why Schmidt would have said that. Not that wondering about the words coming out of Schmidt’s mouth is an uncommon experience. But Gingerbread is currently the most widely installed version of Android, and six months after it was released it was only on 18.6 percent of Android devices.
Did Schmidt assume ICS would do better? Because it hasn’t.
It looks as though the newest [Android] version is making its way into the market more slowly over time…
Huh. That’s probably not the message you want to send to developers. Code for our exciting new operating system! That people will be using… someday!
Oh, and by the way, use our payment system or else.
Kisses!
Well, good luck with your prediction, Eric!
But you say, Mr. Macalope, it’s not a matter of luck. If anyone has the power to make Android more attractive to developers, it’s Google themselves!
That is why the Macalope says “good luck with your prediction, Eric!”
[Editors’ Note: In addition to being a mythical beast, the Macalope is not an employee of Macworld. As a result, the Macalope is always free to criticize any media organization. Even ours.]