As is the norm prior to every Google I/O (sans the 2020 one since that was cancelled), Google has thrown up some interesting numbers around its Android operating system. One such number, is 3 billion, which equates to the number of devices that are currently being powered by Android. Ofcourse, the non-uniformity across the Android ecosystem means that these devices will be running a plethora of versions of Google’s mobile OS.
Nevertheless, the number holds quite some significance. For one, it represents a largely uniform growth pattern for Android. The last that we heard on this, was back in May 2019, when Google said that 2.5 billion devices are running Android. Adding 500 million in 2 years is decent growth, with obvious more scope still left. Compare that to Apple, which recently said that there are over 1 billion iPhones on the planet.
Google’s 3 billion figure also includes a surprising 250 million tablet devices. Surprising, because had it not been the current pandemic, tablet usage was pretty much on decline, more so in the Android ecosystem. However, as educations turns online, most students have had to quickly equip themselves with affordable tablets. And when affordable is what you need, Android is the answer. That sizeable number also explains Google’s increased focus on large screen devices in this year’s virtual I/O.
