Android 4, Ice Cream Sandwich, and Swamp Castles
Geek.com covers the maturing Android OS is their post: Android 4 Ice Cream Sandwich due in October – Cell Phones, Mobile Device Technology News and Updates
Still, Google has plenty of big things planned for Ice Cream Sandwich. Among them are extensive improvements to the Android camera app, facial recognition technology, and a resolution-agnostic experience. That last bit is particularly important, since it will help developers streamline the coding of their apps for Android. As we’ve heard (and seen) so many times before, apps can make or break a platform, and that’s a problem that continues to plague the current crop of Android tablets. There simply aren’t enough quality tablet-ready apps to allow the Droid army to fully compete with the iPad."
Why Apple Dominates
Seeking Alpha supports the argument in their article, Why Apple Still Dominates Tablets "Google came out with an advanced version of Android for smartphones known as GingerBread, which isn’t compatible with tablets. It rolled out a separate version for tablets named Honeycomb. The next OS, dubbed Ice Cream Sandwich, will work on both smartphones and tablets but will not be available until Q4 2011 or after by many reports. By that time, Apple will have already extended its lead in the tablet segment."
Eclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb and Ice Cream Sandwich - Apple is not junk food.
The Toshiba Thrive that I own runs Honeycomb. Honeycomb is clearly missing functionality, so I would argue that the number of "quality tablet-ready apps" may only be a symptom of an unstable, immature OS.
Android, an OS so immature that is deserves a Monty Python reference:
FATHER: One day, lad, all this will be yours!
HERBERT: What, the curtains?
FATHER: No, not the curtains, lad. All that you can see! Stretched out over the hills and valleys of this land! This'll be your kingdom, lad!
HERBERT: But, Mother...
FATHER: Father, I'm Father.
HERBERT: But Father, I don't want any of that.
FATHER: Listen, lad. I've built this kingdom up from nothing. When I started here, all there was was swamp. All the kings said I was daft to build a castle in a swamp, but I built it all the same, just to show 'em. It sank into the swamp. So, I built a second one. That sank into the swamp. So I built a third one. That burned down, fell over, then sank into the swamp. But the fourth one stayed up. An' that's what your gonna get, lad -- the strongest castle in these islands.
HERBERT: But I don't want any of that... I'd rather, sing!
Xolo