Apple takes swipe at Android with new fragmentation chart
The company claims that 93 percent of its users are running iOS 6, while 6 percent are running iOS 5. Just 1 percent of its users are running an earlier version of its operating system.
Apple has fired a not-so-subtle shot over Android's bow with a new chart displaying its lack of operating system fragmentation.
The company recently started publishing how many people are running different versions of its iOS software. The chart, which is available in Apple's iOS Dev Center, shows that 93 percent of its users are running iOS 6. Another 6 percent have iOS 5 running on their devices. Only 1 percent of iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch owners are running an earlier version.
Apple highlighted its success at getting people to its latest operating system at the Worldwide Developers Conference earlier this month. The company also took a swipe at Android during that discussion, saying that Google's operating system is still heavily fragmented.
Android fragmentation has long been an issue for the platform, and it's something that Google has been attempting to address. Still, according to its own chart on the Android developers page, Android 4.1 and 4.2 (Jelly Bean), the latest available versions, hold just 33 percent of the market. Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) is the leading platform with 36.5 percent market share. Even Jelly Bean's predecessor, Ice Cream Sandwich, is clinging to 25.6 percent of the space.
Fragmentation is an issue for developers trying to deliver a consistent experience across the device space. Apple believes that its lack of fragmentation is a competitive advantage. And now that it's publishing iOS distributions, we can more accurately compare the two operating systems to see how they're faring.