The Android ecosystem is an incredible success. There is massive compatibility, with very few issues, across thousands of devices from weak to powerful, big and small. Maybe Google actually did something right?
And no, you don't need to test against all of those configurations. Did the linked product? No. They used the incendiary fragmentation line because it gets hit, but actually point to no specific problem with it (besides, bizarrely, pointing out that Google has added functionality to scale for screen sizes...which has been a fundamental part of the Android development suite since day 1).
Very few issues ? Clearly you don't know what your talking about. I work in a team that does Android and mobile website development. We NEED 20+ devices versus 4 for Apple. And there are lots of vendor specific issues which require you to own those devices even just for comparing web site rendering behavior.
And there is nothing magic about Android working on different devices i.e. it's not like ICS works on them. They just are running old versions of Android.
I work in a team that does Android and mobile website development. We NEED 20+ devices versus 4 for Apple
Just to be clear, you're the guy who "researched" Android by looking at the public, everyone-knows-about-it Platform Versions breakdown this morning. And you're schooling me on Android. Delightful.
I have actual public apps. The only real issue are a small number of devices where the HAL essentially lies (which leads to the blacklisting of the handset), and understanding the different GPU architectures and their limitations / benefits (#1 issue people have is when they commit to a proprietary vendor texture format and then try to do runtime conversions. Bad idea. Just use ETC1 and shader transparency). Big deal. I get paid for my development so I suck it up.
I didn't research anything. I work for a large multinational and our team is responsible for some of the most popular public apps and websites on the entire platform. So yes. I see first hand what it takes to support them.
And the problems with Android are far, far beyond just GPU issues. It is the fact that the most popular devices are also the ones running old versions.
And no, you don't need to test against all of those configurations. Did the linked product? No. They used the incendiary fragmentation line because it gets hit, but actually point to no specific problem with it (besides, bizarrely, pointing out that Google has added functionality to scale for screen sizes...which has been a fundamental part of the Android development suite since day 1).