Google likes to name each version of Android after a sweet treat. The next version of Android was to be called Key Lime Pie, but it will now be called KitKat.
Google has campus features statues that represent each version of Android. A new Android statue has appeared next to the Android Jelly Bean one and it's made out of Nestle's KitKat candybar, signaling a new and somewhat strange partnership between the tech giant and the candy company. Google's naming convention for its mobile operating system takes after desserts. Let's take a look at how we went from a cupcake to a candy bar.
It all began with the release of Android 1.5 Cupcake, which was launched in April 2009. It brought support for one of Android's most popular features, adding the ability to pin Widgets to the home screen. Android 1.6 Donut was released in September 2009 and allowed users to use their voice to search and also brought driving directions to the platform. A month later Google served up another sweet treat with the release of Android 2.0 Eclair in October 2009, which allowed users to customize their home screen, arrange apps and widgets across multiple screen and in folders, and also added support for live wallpapers.
In May 2010 the company unleashed Android 2.2 Froyo (short for frozen yogurt), which allowed users to use their voice to input text instead of pecking away at a virtual keyboard. Froyo also introduced Voice Actions, which allowed you to control your smartphone by simply speaking to it. In December 2010 it baked up Android 2.3 Gingerbread, which included an updated user interface that was designed to be simple and fast. Gingerbread is still one of the most used versions of Android till this day.
Android 3.0 Honeycomb was released in February 2011 and was a response to Apple's iPad. The new version of Android was optimized for tablets and introduced a new "holographic" user interface. It also introduced the multitasking feature of letting a user see snapshots of an application to easily navigate in and out of apps. In October 2011 Google served up a cold treat with the release of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The new OS introduced a new, refined design. It also took the soft buttons introduced in Honeycomb and allowed smartphone manufacturers to use on-screen buttons instead of physical ones. The Samsung Galaxy Nexus was the first smartphone to ship with Ice Cream Sandwich and soft buttons. Google would follow with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean in June 2012, which introduced the world to Google Now and Project Butter. Google enjoyed Jelly Bean so much that it kept the name for the release of Android 4.2 in November 2012 and Android 4.3 in July 2013.
It was widely believed that the next version of Android would be Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie, but Google is going to stick with a candy name for the next release of Android and it won't be version 4.0. The company has officially announced that Android 4.4 will be named KitKat, after the chocolate Nestle candy bar. Google announced the new name after it announced that it has activated over 1 billion Android devices. It has not revealed what features KitKat will include, except posting the message, "It's our goal with Android KitKat to make an amazing Android experience available for everybody," on its Android webpage.
The company has also entered a partnership with Nestle that will include competitions and limited-edition Android-shaped KitKats as prizes. Patrice Bula, Nestle's Head of Marketing, released a statement confirming the partnership:
"We're excited to announce this partnership with Android, the world's most popular mobile platform, which will help us to enable even more KitKat fans to enjoy their break."
It's a somewhat surprising move for Google to partner with a candy company and name its upcoming operating system after a specific candy bar, but Google has always liked to be different. It's just one of the billion reasons its mobile operating system is the world's most popular mobile platform, and even Nestle confirmed that today.
