End of an era! There is something in life that never changes. Google’s rule regarding naming the newly released Android version was one of them. Sadly, the search engine giants decided to part ways with this tradition. Let us have a look at the nomenclature style that Google followed, why did they ditch this style and what are its future plans regarding this. Also, Google has redesigned the Android Logo. We will have a look at that as well. So let’s begin.
Table of Contents
How It All Started For Google
When Google launched the first Android device in 2008, it took everybody by surprise. Barely a year back, Apple launched its first iPhone model (1st generation) and was ruling the mobile handset industry. Although quite a revolution in itself, it lacked a certain basic aspect- the open source nature. Whatever was handed over to the user, they have to act within those limits only. This is when Google stepped up and launched the first-ever Android device (HTC Dream) the following year. And then there was no looking back.
Google’s Naming Tradition of Android Versions
Apart from tons of features and customizations to choose from, another interesting aspect that kept users hooked on to this OS was the name of the OS. This is because each new version of Android was always named after a dessert, right from the first Android version itself. But that’s not all. All these versions were also named in alphabetical order, beginning with the letter C. The letter A and B were reserved for Alpha and Beta releases.
With that said, let us now have a look at the list of all the Android Versions till date and their subsequent names:
[table id=3 /]
What Will Be The New naming Conventions
Google announced the launch of its next release of Android in its I/O Conference. As per the tradition, for the initial few months, the version gets named after the next alphabet in line. Android Pie (initially called Android P) was launched last year. Hence during this year’s launch, they decided to call the next version Android Q for the time being (supposedly).
Well, nothing wrong with that. Meanwhile, users were busy guessing what the next version of OS could be called. But Google surprised everyone by giving out the news that they would no longer follow the decade long naming convention. Beginning with the latest Android release, the newly launched version will just be called Android 10 (rather than Android Q, or any dessert name associated with Q).
So from now, all Android releases will just be known by the Android version’s number like Android 11, Android 12 and so on. But what could be the plausible explanation behind this move from the Silicon Valley giants? Read on below. to know more.
Any Logical Explanation For This?
Well, it looks like the heads at Google office were not able to find any dessert name starting from Q, (ever heard of Quasant!). Or were they preparing for the tough road ahead, as X, Y, Z were all looming around? Jokes apart, Google hasn’t officially released any statement for this change.
But one of the logical explanation could be that for any normal Android user, it was hard to guess what Android version was associated with a dessert name. For example, he/she may have no idea regarding the Android version associated with Android KitKat, Android Pie, etc.
The only way was to remember all the names and their versions right from the Android 1.6 Cupcake, but that hardly made any sense. With this change, one could easily identify the Android version being talked about, as the name is now directly associated with the version number.
The New Redesigned Android Logo
Along with the change in the naming convention, Google decided to have a makeover of Android Logo as well. The last time they did so was back in 2014. Instead of the familiar Android robot, now only its head will be visible. The color of the robot has also changed. Along with it, the Android watermark will now be black with a white background and vice versa. Have a look below. Don’t miss the cool new video released by Google, embedded at the end of this post.
My Views
It is really sad, not just for the dessert lovers, but the entire tech community as a whole. It was always fun to play the guessing game regarding what the newly released Android version will be called. But now Google too decided to take the same old boring route that Apple and Windows have taken. A silly yet unique tradition that everyone loved it is no more. Perhaps Google could have taken it more seriously.
What do you think of this? Was Google right in doing this? Is it indeed beneficial for normal users now to remember the newly released versions? Or is Google just using them as a scapegoat to fulfill their ambitions? Do share your views and reactions in the comment section below.
Trivia- The Number 10 Game!
What’s with the number 10 and these tech giants! As you might be knowing, after releasing Windows 10, Microsoft decided that there will be no Windows 11, 12 and so on. The next released version will just be called Windows 10.1, 10.2, etc. Similarly, Google has decided to ditch its 10-year long tradition, beginning with the 10th version of Android. Hold on to your hats, young Sherlocks. I leave that upto you.
