Unlike Apple, Google’s never been overly concerned with secrecy. You often go into a Google press conference knowing, to an extent, what you’re going to be shown.
Whether that’s on purpose or Google’s hints just lack an awful amount of subtlety, one thing’s for sure: you know when a new version of Android’s about to hit when the company’s lawn gets a new ornament.
Tomorrow marks the start of the annual Google I/O Developer conference, and it’s going to be the stage from which the company shouts about its new OS. While previous hints have left no uncertainty that the next iteration of the OS will be called Jelly Bean, you don’t get evidence much more concrete than this:
The statue’s now residing alongside its Android brethren for all to see, which can only mean one thing: Google’s definitely about to bump Android 4.0 to Android 4.1 tomorrow.
Is Google about to fix fragmentation for good?
Of course, the big question on everyone’s lips is: when will your phone get the upgrade? Such a small slither of current Android handsets have managed to upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich as it is – will throwing a new version of the OS at manufacturers confuse things?
Rumour has it Google could be about to take Android updates in-house to end this sort of fragmentation and delay. Tall order, but if it can pull it off, Android 4.1 could be a huge turning point for Google’s mobile business. Now, all we have to do is wait for tomorrow’s announcement…
