Android is still a fragmented mess, but that is not stopping the latest version of the operating system, KitKat, from being installed on 13.6 percent of all devices that visit the Google Play Store. That's a good enough increase over the 8.5 percent recorded a month in the past.
With this 13.6 percent, KitKat has managed to inch its way pass Ice Cream Sandwich, which sits at 12.3 percent share. Overall, Jelly Bean is still the top dog with 58.4 percent shares, which is followed by Gingerbread with 14.9 percent share, as per Google's data.
The growth of KitKat is wonderful, but it doesn't help with the fragmentation problems that plague the Android platform. At the moment, there are nine versions of Android installed on consumer devices, and the majority has over 10 percent shares, with only Froyo version 2.2 with a percentage under one percent. Android Honeycomb is the only one that doesn't show up on the chart, since Google doesn't show versions with less than one percent share.
This is quite a shocking revelation, and it only proves that Google has a lot of work to do in the years to come, because this issue won't be solved overnight.
To prove how inept Google has been on solving fragmentation issues, we'll take a look at Apple and the iOS. Currently, 89 percent of all iPhones are running iOS 7, while only six percent are still powered by iOS 6. When it comes down to Microsoft and its Windows Phone platform, the numbers are similar to iOS, and that's an operating system that is lagging behind like a sick animal for the past couple of years.
Google has promised to do something about the fragmentation, but we have yet to see any meaningful action designed to tackle it.
The success of KitKat can be attributed to the successful launch of several Android smartphones with this particular version pre-installed. The Galaxy S5 and the HTC One (M8) are most likely the devices leading the way. The other aspects include successful rollout of the new update by device manufacturers and carriers, along with the many users who went ahead and installed themselves.
