Exactly seven months ago, to the day, Google released Android 7.0 Nougat. Since then, its progress in reaching users has been slow, to say the least; Google"s latest official figures, published two weeks ago, show that just 2.8% of active Android devices are running version 7.0 or newer.
Nonetheless, Google is pushing ahead with development of its next major update to the OS, details of which it announced yesterday, along with availability of its first Developer Preview.
For now, the new version is known only as "Android O" - but as with most of its previous releases, the company will surely revise that with a new version number and a sweet-sounding name, following on from its predecessors:
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Android 1.5 Cupcake - Android 1.6 Donut
- Android 2.0 to 2.1 Eclair
- Android 2.2 Froyo
- Android 2.3 Gingerbread
- Android 3.0 Honeycomb
- Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
- Android 4.1 to 4.3 Jelly Bean
- Android 4.4 KitKat
- Android 5.0 to 5.1 Lollipop
- Android 6.0 Marshmallow
- Android 7.0 to 7.1.x Nougat
Incidentally, Android 1.0 had no official name, but 1.1 was the first version to get some sweet-sounding nomenclature: it was codenamed "Petit Four", but the alphabetical naming convention began with Cupcake. (And an extra bit of trivia: during Android"s earliest development - prior to version 1.0 - its creators used the names "Astro Boy" and "Bender" for key milestones, but despite what some people believe, those names were never associated with versions 1.0 and 1.1 of the OS.)
But which sweet and delicious treat will Android O be named after? The most obvious suggestion that springs to mind, of course, is "Oreo" - but could Google go back to licensing a registered trademark for its latest update?
It"s also worth remembering that in recent years, Google has used separate internal development codenames to those it uses publicly:
- "Key Lime Pie" > KitKat
- "Lemon Meringue Pie" > Lollipop
- "Macadamia Nut Cookie" > Marshmallow
- "New York Cheesecake" > Nougat
If Google is sticking with that tradition, then we"ll be needing to think of two tasty names that might be suitable for Android O. Your guess is as good as ours - and right now, we"re eager to hear yours. Share your suggestions with us in the comments below!