Developer Preview of Android O

Post by gcb0 » Thu, Mar 23, 2017, 5:58 AM UTC

endorphone wrote: post #107

gcb0 wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 85% you are ignoring your own effect on that. The fact that every developer moved to API 19+ is why most users gave up and spent another $400~600 on a new unneeded phone. And thanks to that, no manufacturer will ever support the latest release on a month old phone, because they now know people will just buy a new one.

It's a virtuous circle for sure, however there are very decent sub-$200 devices now with Android 6.0+ (many set to receive 7 in the next couple of months). And on the contract side, many consumers are just accustomed to getting a new device every two years regardless, seeming "free", albeit baked into their service fee. At some point the market will settle as the pad market did, however right now the lack of pressure…

Post by on_and_off » Thu, Mar 23, 2017, 5:49 PM UTC

gcb0 wrote: post #74

endorphone wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Until then, I guess I'll continue targeting API 16. I started targeting API 19 (4.4, KitKat) over a year ago and have never looked back. That encompasses the vast bulk of Android users (>85%) and encompasses almost all of the significant developer improvements. Even using the absolute latest fun such as multiple windows is an absolute breeze from the development side, regardless of many users not supporting it yet. A…

> 85% you are ignoring your own effect on that. The fact that every developer moved to API 19+ is why most users gave up and spent another $400~600 on a new unneeded phone. And thanks to that, no manufacturer will ever support the latest release on a month old phone, because they now know people will just buy a new one.

Post by on_and_off » Sun, Mar 26, 2017, 1:12 PM UTC

UncleMeat wrote: post #90

hehheh wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I look at these previews as an example of things to come 3 years from now. I keep hoping that Google will figure out a solution to that (restrict access to Play Services, say). Until then, I guess I'll continue targeting API 16.

If you are still targeting 16, you should make sure that you are handling a bunch of pretty serious security changes made between 17-21. There are a lot of ways you can shoot yourself in the foot when using the old APIs.