Andy Rubin, creator of the Android startup that got bought up by Google and was then transformed into a success story faster than anyone could have predicted, has just tweeted that there are now over 300,000 Android devices being activated on a daily basis. To give that number some context, in a typical 90 day quarter that comes out to over 27 million devices. In Q3 2010 alone Nokia reported shipping 26.5 million smartphones and during that same period Apple pushed 14.1 million iPhones. We’ll see how well both those companies do during this holiday season, but it’s pretty much certain that Android, which is being thrown on devices from multiple vendors, has quickly become the fastest growing mobile operating system.
It was only 26 short months ago that the first Android device, the T-Mobile G1, even shipped. Since then we’ve seen the Google guys crank out version after version at a blinding rate, leaving some device makers at a disadvantage because their products hit the market with an ancient version of the operating system. I’m looking at you Sony Ericsson. It isn’t high end smartphones that are driving this growth either, you’ve got devices like the Huawei Ideos and ZTE Blade, both can be had for under 200 Euros, both are very capable devices.
The future of Android is looking bright too, with Google now focusing on improving the user experience. Recently, at the D: Dive Into Mobile Conference, Andy admitted that the current iteration of Android is still tailored to technology enthusiasts and early adopters. Starting with Gingerbread we’re going to see new UI elements that will hopefully make the OS as easy to use as either the iPhone or one of my favorite smartphones: the Palm Treo 650.
The only top tier mobile handset manufacturer not building Android devices is Nokia. Will they just throw in the towel and join the party?