Yesterday, I came across a post about the fragmentation of Android’s update history. It seems that over the past two years or so, Android has really gained a lot of traction among a wide range of devices from varying manufacturers. One of the side effects of this fragmentation has been the degrading support for OS updates available on all of these different devices. It will be interesting to see what Google’s approach to this issue will be. They have entered the game as an OS provider, but have allowed the device manufacturers and carriers to control the distribution of their OS. On the flip side, Apple has provided the fully integrated solution for their iOS devices - the hardware, software and all updates. They have continually provided updates to the OS and keep consumers on the latest the day that it releases to the public. They are very much a closed eco system, but in this case, the closed nature has provided them with the ability to get OS updates to their customers.

Here’s the graphic. And here’s the link to where it’s posted: http://theunderstatement.com/post/11982112928/android-orphans-visualizing-a-sad-history-of-support