Google has just updated its Android Platform Versions Dashboard and, lo and behold, Android Jelly Bean can finally be found on more devices than Gingerbread. Android 4.1.x and 4.2.x now make up 37.9 percent of all Android devices that visited the Google Play Store during the 14-day period that ended today. Gingerbread (Android 2.3.x) still accounts for 34.1 percent of Android devices. Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0.x) checks in with 23.3% with other versions hanging on with less than 5%. The ancient Donut (Android 1.6) and Eclair (Android 2.1) both still made the chart accounting for 0.1 and 1.4 percent respectively.
It mus be pointed out that Google recently changed the way it tracks Android version distribution:
Beginning in April, 2013, these charts are now built using data collected from each device when the user visits the Google Play Store. Previously, the data was collected when the device simply checked-in to Google servers. We believe the new data more accurately reflects those users who are most engaged in the Android and Google Play ecosystem.
This new way of reporting numbers is probably more relevant for developers but it likely under-represents older versions of Android.
For now, it looks like Apple will be able to point to Android fragmentation as an issue for some time yet.