14 DAY TRIAL // It’s only a few months since Google announced its latest Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system and the search giant is already thinking to launch the next version of its mobile platform which is known as “Jelly Bean.”
According to Digitimes, Google is trying to stave off competition by releasing Android 5.0, an operating system fully optimized for tablet PCs.
Due to the fact that Android 4.0 did not have the success Google expected, the company has decided to speed up development of Android 5.0 Jelly Bean, in order to come out as early as Q2 2012.
Another reason that compels Google to come out with something new within the next few months is the fact that Microsoft is expected to launch Windows 8 this summer.
If Google wants to achieve something, it will need to beat Microsoft to that or at least come out with Android 5.0 around the same timeframe.
Aside from the fact that Android 5.0 Jelly Bean will be fully optimized for tablet PCs, rumor has it that Google will integrate its Chrome system in such a way that users will be able to dual-boot from a Windows 8 device.
This means that brand vendors will be able to choose from either getting only Google’s Android 5.0 or add Jelly Bean to their Windows 8 devices with the ability to switch between the two mobile platforms while on the go.
More importantly, customers who choose a dual-booting device will be able to switch among them without the need to power it off.
Google is desperately trying to enter the notebook and netbook market with Android 5.0 Jelly Bean, though the company’s downstream partners are a bit reluctant about the next version of Android, given the fact that Ice Cream Sandwich’s adoption is still under expectations.