Google has teamed up with Swiss food and beverage company Nestle in the naming of its latest Android update – KitKat.
Previous versions of the mobile operating system have been named after popular sweets and deserts – including Gingerbread, Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean.
Now serving as the world’s biggest mobile operating system, Google claims its Android technology is used on more than a billion smartphones and tablets worldwide. Additionally, it’s estimated that more than one million mobile users access their social media news feeds, shop online and browse the web using Android systems every day.
The announcement has surprised some industry analysts, as the web giant had previously hinted that the latest Android instalment – version 4.4 – would be called Key Lime Pie.
To mark the announcement, Google has erected a giant statue of the Android logo made from KitKat bars outside its California headquarters. It joins other statues representing the previous updates.
Android boss Sundar Pichai uploaded an image of the new statue on Twitter, adding:
“We now have over one billion Android activations and hope this guy in front of the building keeps that momentum going.”
According to Sky News, Google came up with the idea for the marketing tag-team in November last year. The update is expected to be rolled out next month.
In light of the continuing popularity of Google’s Android – which currently commands a 79% share of the market – Apple is expected to up its game with a mysterious event set for next week.
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