This really feels like letting the cart lead the horse. Someone will be unhappy with any choice. They could've added secondary designations (included in preferences and packaging) to solve most of the confusion problems.
But this anodyne, sterile style seems to be the best Google can muster these days.
Another example: I've watched their Stadia Connect videos in which they attempt to pitch their upcoming gaming service to the consumers. They too have come across completely sanitized and robotic -- reminds me of corporate entertainment news doing formulaic red carpet interviews.
I'm not an Android user, but I always had a passing interest in what the new version would be called.
While going to a numbering scheme like iOS is good for Spock, I just can't get behind yet another example of how the world of technology is becoming more boring and bland compared to the way it used to be. Often, in the name of "internationalization."
Unusual words, or novel uses of existing words, used to be part of the whole intellectual curiosity of the tech sphere.
For example, I learned about Maxwell's Demon[1] because of the Unix daemon. Today it would be called something boring like "system auto-task" that doesn't really do it justice.
It seems like the more corporate technology companies become, the more boring they become. And since tech companies influence so much of the world, they make the real world boring.
Remember when computer keyboards had red and blue and yellow keys? Modifier keys were labeled "meta," "super," and "hyper?"
And it's not just Google. Hey, Apple! Can I get the little Apple logos on my keyboard, and the light up beacon on the back of my laptop again?
Why is there this constant need within tech companies to make their products less special?
I use macOS and only started having that problem after they went to annual releases (or maybe I started making desktop maintenance less of a priority?) even though it does show both Mojave and 10.14 in the About.
Although, I do wish there was more whimsy in tech.
Google: We need to discontinue our naming scheme because Pie isn't a dessert in some countries.
This just seems like a bland corporate decision. Blaming it on cultural sensitivity and inclusivity seems almost insulting. Someone isn't going to refuse to use an Android version just because they're accustomed to savory pies instead of sweet ones.
I think the numbering scheme will be more obvious to the average user that they are behind from latest version of Android and that might add more pressure to OEMs (and carriers) to put more effort into updates.
I think the cultural argument is not the most important one for this decision, the important point is that old naming is confusing to newcomers and customers since Android has a lot of disparities between devices and supported versions[1] whereas Apple can count on a very high rate of adoption for their new versions[2].
It is for sure a marketing move even if it hurts Android users who used to love this naming convention.
[1] https://gs.statcounter.com/os-version-market-share/android/m... [2] https://gs.statcounter.com/os-version-market-share/macos/des...
"Pie" means foot in Spanish and it's pronounced something like "pee eh"
Edit: not sure why I'm being downvoted...
Also, Mexicans use "pay" to refer to a pie (not a foot).
There are lots of software companies that use named releases, but if you try to stick with a narrow category and use every letter sequentially you're going to run into some problems eventually. Even if they got past Q this time, there are a lot of letters at the end of the alphabet that were going to be hard to come up with good dessert names with.
Add a sweet topping and you have a dessert.
Queese Cake.
And I would say "Don't know, let me check", but in Settings/About/Version it would show "7.0".
Then I would need to Google what number Oreo is.
Android 10
Mac OS X (10)
Hopefully Android will move past version 10?
Almost every other product I own I can tell you it's major version number and it's relative place among versions. How many versions old is my tablet vs. my phone -- I can't tell off the top of my head.
It might also help consumers as there are still Android products being sold with "Kitkat".
I dont understand why they couldnt have done both. Apple has precedent here "Mavericks 10.9", "Yosemite 10.10".
Google could have mandated brand guidelines to adding version number - "Oreo 8", "Pie 9", "Quiche 10". There is the aspect of fun and brand and a cognitive construct together.
Incidentally, this already happens - check out this phone https://www.amazon.in/Nokia-6-1-Plus-Black-Storage/dp/B07T4V...
Android v8 Oreo operating system with Qualcomm Snapdragon SD 636 quad core processor
This update to the logo while bringing a simplified consistency, lacks strategic focus or any refined brand narrative.
Oh, apparently the code names often changed with a point release. I am looking at [Wikipedia's list of Android versions](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_version_history) and there seems to be absolutely no pattern to whether or not a .1 release changed the version name - 4.1 through 4.3 are Jelly Bean but 4.4 is Kit Kat.
This bugs some part of my brain far more than it ought to.
