It has been more than ten years since Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) acquired Android. At the time, the startup was doing what it still does this day, creating software for mobile phones.
At the time of the acquisition, neither of them had any idea that Android would grow to become the phenomenal software giant that it is today. Ten years later, Android has the most used mobile operating systems in the world, rivaling giants such as Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY).
Towards the end of 2014, a survey revealed that Android occupied more than 53% of the total market. Apple iOS, on the other hand, commanded 41.6% as stated by ComScore. In terms of the number of devices shipped around the world, Android had more than 1.05 billion units in June 2014 while iOS units amounted to 192.7 million. This brought Android’s dominance up to 81.5% while iOS dropped to 14.8%.
In 2010, David Lawee, an executive at Google described the acquisition of Android for $50 million as the best deal the company has ever gotten. Now it is easier to understand that statement though it is not the only significant acquisition that the company has gotten since then.
One of the most significant drive behind Google’s success with Android is their ability to adapt and change. Whether it is individual application updates or the whole OS update, Google has always been on top of the game to give users the best experience. What’s more, the updates are always been timed correctly. Every time there is a new update, developers make sure it is better than the previous one. Additionally the updates are mostly oriented towards making the services more user-friendly.
Over the years, there have been numerous OS updates since the first one was introduced. There were earlier versions such as the Android Cupcake (1.5), and the Android Froyo(2.2). With each introduction, Android became more popular. The latest versions including the KitKat and Lollipop created a buzz during their respective launch. This is because users were eager to see what will come next.
