What is fragmentation?

[budmonster]

Eric Schmidt: Android Is All About Differentiation, Not Fragmentation

 

[WizeGuyDezignz]

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but in a nutshell I believe fragmentation as it relates to Android is how many different versions of Android are running on various phones across carriers.

In other words, there can be 6 phones released in the same month and 2 of them might be running Android version 2.3.2, 2 of them might be running 2.3.6 and 2 of them might be running 4.0.2.

So I think it just refers to all of us not running the same OS even though the phones were all released at the same time.

Apple for example doesn't really have fragmentation because for the most part all iPhone users are running the same version of the OS. And if they aren't they have access to the most updated version.

Once again, someone can correct me if I'm wrong on this.

 

[nynvolt]

I thought it referred to proprietary apps, as in apps that will only run on some Android while others can't or exclusive software?

 

[VTENGR]

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but in a nutshell I believe fragmentation as it relates to Android is how many different versions of Android are running on various phones across carriers.

In other words, there can be 6 phones released in the same month and 2 of them might be running Android version 2.3.2, 2 of them might be running 2.3.6 and 2 of them might be running 4.0.2.

So I think it just refers to all of us not running the same OS even though the phones were all released at the same time.

Apple for example doesn't really have fragmentation because for the most part all iPhone users are running the same version of the OS. And if they aren't they have access to the most updated version.

Once again, someone can correct me if I'm wrong on this.

This is how I understood it as well.

If you look at all android phones out right now... only something like 50% of them are running Gingerbread (v2.3). The rest are running older versions, maybe a few running Ice Cream Sandwich. Every once in awhile someone will post an article detail the % of Android OS there is. The drawback, or presumed drawback, to Android fragmentation falls in the lap of the developers b/c they're tasked to develop new and better apps that have to be compatible to a large array of Android OS.

 

[MrSmith317]

Fragmentation is a term that people can use to slam Android's diversity. It suggests very negatively that because of Android's diverse ecosystem and that every device isn't running the same version, that Android is an inferior platform. Of course to that I call BS. iPhones aren't fragmented because iPhone 1's can't run iOS 5. Blackberries aren't fragmented because the Pearl can't run QNX. And let's try to count the symbian phones that are/were running the same version software...

So you see fragmentation is a buzz word that means nothing more than some jackelope out there wanted to sound cool when he couldn't explain why there were so many Android devices beating up on the competition.

 

[andr01d]

attention all android phone addicts!!!
Has Google 'Lost Control' of Android Thanks to Fragmentation? | News & Opinion | PCMag.com

 

[Kane5581]

Its a word invented by the iPhone crowd, I'm pretty sure its a synonym for "kick ass", so when they say android has a "fragmented" OS....or androids are too "fragmented"...or my IOS isnt totally "fragmented" like android... you get the point.