Sweet Spot: A visual look at the delicious history of Android

Let’s face it: the masses don’t care about IT; at least not in the way that we do. This has, is, and presumably always will be, a problem that OEMs, software developers, and marketing firms have learned to accept. Put simply, the world-at-large just doesn’t care about operating systems, CPU cores, or firmware updates.

Even new types of products such as bendable tablets and smartphones won’t appeal to many at first, and one need only look at the general reaction to current glimpses of the future to understand the resistance.

Android is an operating system. Android is a seemingly infinite stream of code. Android is open source. And yet, Android is awesome. In no small terms, Google has managed to infuse popular culture into something that goes beyond the confines of IT. It has given its cute green robot a soul.

Instead of talking about 4.4.4, people talk about KitKat. Instead of reminiscing about 3.1, tablet aficionados speak of Honeycomb.  And instead of looking ahead to 5.0, we’re all raving over Lollipop. Google’s brilliant decision to name each major OS release after a popular dessert has not only ensured things stay sweet, but that everyone is actually, and actively, trying to predict the name of the next version.

Take a second to marvel at this simplistic brilliance, and consider for how many years companies like Microsoft have, and still do, offer nothing more than a rudimentary numbering system. Even Apple opted to switch things up, finally opting to give its OSX more dynamic names.

Take a second to look at this fantastic visual history of Android, and breathe in the bakery: