Android Pie is here
by Volker Weber
The latest release of Android is here! And it comes with a heaping helping of artificial intelligence baked in to make your phone smarter, simpler and more tailored to you. Today we’re officially introducing Android 9 Pie.Here isn't actually here though. If these were iPhones, you could download the new O/S right now. Unfortunately this is Android. Some phones, like the Pixels will get it now. Some phones will get it later. And most will never get it at all.We’ve built Android 9 to learn from you—and work better for you—the more you use it. From predicting your next task so you can jump right into the action you want to take, to prioritizing battery power for the apps you use most, to helping you disconnect from your phone at the end of the day, Android 9 adapts to your life and the ways you like to use your phone.
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Indeed, this will be an interesting process to observe. So far:
Nokia 7 Plus (supported by Android P Beta): 8.1, Security Patch July
Samsung S8: 8.0, Security Patch August
Hopefully the missing August Security Patch for the Nokia Plus 7 will result in Android 9.0 being provided in August.
Thomas, that's not entirely true. A Google Pixel is the "closest" to the Apple iPhone upgrade experience. But Google is still at the mercy of carriers that decide they want to review and approve an update - even with Pixel devices. Apple, on the other hand, has full 100% control of every carrier with respect to updates and always has.
Of course, there is also the underlying fact that Apple's core business model revolves around selling hardware, while Google's revolves around mining and selling you. Those "features" come included with the respective OS.
Erik, do you have proof of this? At least in Germany I got the Pie update instantly even on an operator issued phone. Or is that an U.S. specialty?
Just as a gentle reminder. You can see adoption rates for software updates here:
https://developer.android.com/about/dashboards/
https://developer.apple.com/support/app-store/
Also, Google sells fewer Pixels in a year (3.9m) than Apple sells iPhones in a week (230m/52).
Dominik, here's a link:
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2017/06/with-iphone-apple-showed-att-and-verizon-whos-boss/
Also I remember seeing a very good thread on Reddit recently that discussed the Pixel updates across different carriers/countries.
As for proof of the business model of Apple vs. Google, I'll let you Google that :)
Regarding Volker's links: I think a lot of people don't fully understand the ramifications of Android being so fragmented and non-current.
If you are an Android app developer and want to cover 90% of the Android market you need to develop for 5 (soon 6) major Android OS versions. This means that you are either going to code for the lowest common denominator and avoid cool capabilities that newer Android versions have, or you're going to decide to only support something like the latest 3 versions. If they choose the latter case and you are the consumer with a 2-3 year old device you are out of luck if your carrier/manufacturer doesn't let you stay current (not to mention the huge security implications as has been discussed here many times).
Pie is still not here, but I just got the September security patch on my Nokia 8 Sirocco. good Pie comes to those who wait for it?
