Sources speaking to Engadget on the condition of anonymity have revealed that the next versions of Android, Froyo and Gingerbread, will address the ecosystem’s platform fragmentation problems.
“We had a couple people at CTIA last week — people whose words carry weight — tell us off the record that the next major version of Android would take big strides toward stopping the ugly trend toward severe fragmentation that has plagued the platform for much of this and last year,” wrote Engadget’s Chris Ziegler.
“You know, the kind of fragmentation that has already left users running not one, not two, not three, but four distinct versions of the little green guy (1.5, 1.6, 2.0, and 2.1) depending on a seemingly arbitrary formula of hardware, carrier, region, software customization, and manufacturers’ ability to push updates in a timely fashion.”
The solution, the sources say, will be a two-pronged attack. First, Google evidently intends to decouple many core applications and components from the kernel in favor of a new home on the app store. Like Google Maps, which can now installed or updated by any Android owner, users will eventually be able to install or update many of Android’s core user-facing experiences from the app store. Gone will be the days of waiting for your carrier to approve a hot app update; you’ll be able to go out and download it at your fancy, instead.
Second, Engadget says, Google is likely preparing to slow progress on the development of Android’s core. Through the lifecycles of Froyo and Gingerbread, Google will slowly shift its focus to applications and features, rather than on rapid and successive major revisions that have divided the platform and paralyzed the faithful at the register.
As with all rumors, however, scrutiny and patience is advisable, but today’s dish is altogether quite reasonable and should indeed have the intended effect.
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