Is there a better way to spend the weekend than poring over the first batch of Android platform distribution numbers of 2014? I'd say no! The good news is that's precisely what we're going to do now, because Google has posted a fresh set of figures on its official Android Developers website.
Android 4.4 KitKat saw some growth from December to January, gaining 0.3 percent share during the 7-day survey period ending on Jan. 8 to finish with 1.4 percent of the Android pie. Android 4.1-4.3 Jelly Bean was once again crowned king of the dessert hill with its 59.1 percent share, while Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich claimed a 16.9 percent share. Meanwhile, Android 3.2 Honeycomb is still holding strong to the 0.1 percent share that it's had for the past few months.
Android 2.3 Gingerbread finished the survey period in second place once again thanks to its 21.2 percent share, which is 2.9 points fewer than it had in December. Rounding out the bunch is Android 2.2 Froyo and its 1.3 percent share.
Overall there's nothing terribly shocking to be found in the latest pile of Android distribution numbers. KitKat's piece of the Android pie is small because it's still fairly fresh, but it did see some nice growth thanks to updates to devices like the Moto X, Moto G and Verizon's newest Droids. Jelly Bean performed even better due to new devices coming to market with Android 4.3 in tow and updates that were pushed to several Samsung Galaxy products, including the S III and Note II. Expect more of the same growth and decline next month as consumers continue to trade up from their aging Gingerbread and ICS-powered hardware to newer, fresher Jelly Bean and KitKat hardware.
